Peace for the Broken

My dad once told me that "There was a man who was sad that he had no shoes until he saw a man that had no feet."

We all think we have it bad, till we see a neighbor moving out of their foreclosed home or hear of a neighbor who committed suicide.  We "knew" them sort of?  But waving at one another isn't really "knowing them" is it?  It's more like just being friendly to a person on the roadway, waving in your rear view mirror at them because they allowed you to merge in front of them, not knowing who they are or what their problems or needs are.  We never even try to really get to know our neighbors anymore.  What is wrong with any of us that we show no love to one another anymore?   I have had both of these situations happen to me and I don't sleep as well as I used to.  All I can do is continue to ask God for forgiveness for the missed divine opportunities that He was trying to give me, but I ignored them.  I can't sleep at night because I continue to wonder, "what if."  Well it's too late for that now isn't it? 

For those of you who are going through the roughest times of your lives?  The Lord DOES love you and He DOES care for you.  I would ask that you read the scriptures and find out just what God says about you.  You are so special to Him!  He created you so uniquely, that there is not another YOU on the planet, so please don't lose hope?  Don't lose your faith?  It is the only thing that will sustain you in these rough times!

And no matter what happens, please just remember, Jesus will always be there.  He is carrying you through these rough terrible times and He does hear your prayers and He is your hope! Even in the little things.... I know they are not enough sometimes, but God is there.  I have to remind myself a million times a day to be grateful for what I do have, even though my life is a total complete mess, because I know that someone reading this right now has it worse than me.

So please, hold onto those you love, hold onto your friends, share what you do have with those who have nothing.  Love isn't love till you give it away!  So those who have, give and help those who don't have.  And those who don't have, be gracious, don't be too proud!  Accept the help that is offered to you!  And for those who have and feel guilty for not helping?  If you truly feel badly, share with others!  Buy a second lunch when you go thru the drive through and offer it to the man with the sign that says, "Out of work please help," that you see sitting just off the side of the driveway.

During The Great Depression, my grandparents helped as many as they could.  They didn't have a lot themselves, but my grandfather was blessed with skills.  He was hired by MGM studios (I'm pretty sure it was MGM?),  to build sets as a carpenter.  He built sets for Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments and other great movies of the 30's and because he had a job and was able to take care of his family, they had a little extra.  They didn't have a lot with 5  kids to feed and clothe, but they did what they could, God rest their souls.  They took people in, especially the women with children during the winter, using every blanket they had, to where my mother said she remembered sleeping through a few cold nights because the people they had taken in needed a blanket too.  They all had to share.  They would also take what they had left from a nice roast they would have each Sunday and my grandma would make soup and then feed it to those who had no food.  They did what they could, though it wasn't much.  That was who we were back then.  I'm sorry to see our character has changed so much in this country that we don't even take notice of our own neighbors anymore.

So take someone in if they need your help and feed those who are hungry, pray for those who are too proud to accept your help or work a "trade," for something totally worthless that they have so that they won't deny your generosity because of their pride!  Trust me, it does work!  Donate old jackets your kids can't wear, and old blankets and bedspreads to help them keep warm.  So many shelters are closing at night now - it's backwards I know, but it's what we are dealing with and if we don't help each other, we won't survive.

Coat drives are already starting and it's not even July 1st yet, but that's because more and more people are having to use last years coats for their kids which barely fit them anymore.  You can usually do a coat exchange at a local church who would have a clothes closet, and maybe even a soup kitchen, so try the churches.  There are city coat exchanges as well, so find a coat exchange and take the smaller coats and trade them for larger ones so your children will feel comfortable in them.  Believe me if the jacket is too tight, they'll freeze before they wear it?  There are people around you who do care and who do love.  You just have to look!

The trauma that is happening to people all over this country right now because of the failed policies of our government is truly frightening to me.  I am one step away from that myself and it hurts to see people hurting and it's frightening to be living right on the edge myself.  I pray a lot, but most of all, I pray that none of us ever forgets that Jesus is always there, caring for us, watching us, and carrying us when we cannot stand on our own.  Even when you don't have enough, like the man who had no shoes?  Just remember that there is someone else that has less.  There are people in your own back yard who have spiritual and emotional needs as well that are not being met!  Give them the support they need!  Take a casserole to the widow up the street and offer to be her friend, someone she can count on to be there if she needs to talk.  And then there are those who are struggling to feed their children or make ends meet, with both parents working two jobs, having nobody to look in on thier kids after they get home from school.  Offer to help them!  Just offer to step in a few times to make sure the kids are okay before their folks get home.  If you are a stay at home mom or if you are retired you should offer to help!  There are so many things we can do to help each other, just like my grandparents did, but these days it's all about ME ME ME!  I'm so sick of people saying they can't help, coming up with some excuse as to why they don't want to "get involved."  That attitude coming from my fellow AMERICANS makes me want to throw up!  

My heart aches for those who have lost their homes, lost their jobs and are losing their entire retirements because of what is happening around us.  Just remember that this is all part of the prophecy of Ezekiel 38 and 39.  When you see Syria in a Civil War, where they are literally blowing building up and killing everyone?  Just remember, the Prophet Isaiah, 17:1-3, he discusses what is happening there right now.  Pick up a bible and read that passage and then fall to your knees and either accept Christ or re-dedicate yourself and your life to Him for we truly are in the last days, but remember, always remember. that NO MATTER WHAT?

Jesus will always be enough.