When I received word that I would be writing a guest post for (in)courage, my heart was overcome with emotion.  The literature major in me came alive.  I imagined the poetry that would spring from my heart.  I would be wise like Lewis, as contemplative as Thoreau, and as in awe of the very stuff of creation as Dillard.

But when I put pen to paper, the words did not come.

As I struggled to share the thoughts that were in my heart, I turned to previous posts and comments shared by so many wonderful women at (in)courage.  Posts and thoughts that have touched me, encouraged me, caused me to move forward with hope.

And then it hit me.

Many of us are struggling.

Many of us have hurts from wounds of the past.

Many of us are searching for purpose, wondering what the future holds.

Many of us feel afraid to share our pain, fearful of rejection.  Fearful that no one will understand.

I myself fall into all of the above categories.

It’s strange how often we feel alone in our struggles.  That thought, No one understands what I am going through, is dangerous and painfully isolating.  And it is from the enemy.

When we become convinced that we are alone in our trials, we begin comparing ourselves to those whom we perceive have better lives, jobs, healthier marriages, closer walks with the Lord…

And that’s when the real trouble starts.

Resentment builds walls around fractured hearts.

Bitterness consumes our thoughts.

Communities, the friendships we so desperately need, fall apart.

And that’s when guilt creeps in, peaking over our shoulders, whispering, “Aren’t you a believer?  Shouldn’t you be happy all the time?  Aren’t you supposed to love your brothers and sisters in Christ?”

All the while, the reality is that we are all walking this journey.   No one has “made it” or “figured it out.”

But there is One who has walked this journey.  He “figured it out” before you and I breathed our first breaths.  There is One who knows the answers.  And His name is Jesus.

When we don’t have the strength to continue on, He does.

The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped. – Psalm 28:7

When we don’t know the next step, He knows.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. – Jeremiah 29:11

When we are hurting, He understands.

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows. – Isaiah 53:3-4

When we can’t even put our needs into words (or on paper!), He intercedes for us.

The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. – Romans 8:26

And when we need a hand to hold, the Lord has provided us with friends who share in our struggle. Friends who share our fears, our desires, and our search for joy and purpose.

We don’t need to travel this journey alone.  Let’s walk together.

By Meg Massey, Morning Cup With Meg

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