Is It True?

Yes, it is.

It's hard to believe.

When I think about it, my heart starts to beat really fast.

I have broken into a sweat a few times today.

My feet have grown cold because I'm nervous.

My stomach has been knots. I don't know how I kept lunch down.

Oh yeah, I went to the bathroom so it didn't stay too long.

No, this can't be true.

I guess I need to put my big girl panties and deal with it.

School starts back tomorrow.

Hurt and Love

Hurt.

It's a word that is used in several different meanings. I most often hear, "He hurt my feelings." Or I'll say, "Don't say such hurtful things to one another." But to me, those are only surfuce hurts.

Hurt can be much deeper than that. It can be a personal struggle. It could be domestic abuse. It could emotional abuse. It could be losing someone you loved deeply for. It could mean betrayal. It could physical pain. It could heart hurting.

A deep physical hurt can be rare and raw. I can only think of a small handful of experiences when I felt raw. My heart physically hurt. I felt like my heart had just shattered in pieces and felt like I would never move on. I hurt and ached so deeply that I thought no one would ever understand my pain.

Certain events cause such deep hurting that few, random people truly understand the pain and emotions one experiences. Its hard for a friend to grasp the words or actions to do to ease the pain for a loved one. Do you sit there and hold their hand? Or do you stumble around on phrases to say to make it better? Do you make a joke of the situation or do you cry with the person?

Today, I was reminded that people are placed in our lives to help us handle certain hurt. Tragic events occur in our lives that makes us question why God would put us through them. But today, God reminded me that He places certain people in our life to minister to, or for them to minister to us. Today a friend told me, "I just can't right now. I hurt too much and I'm too weak for her." She sympathized so much for our friend and could identify with the situation that she physically felt weak for her. This is a true friendship. When a friend is truly hurt, the other friend should be able to physically feel the pain because the love is so deep. Often like a mother's love for her child. My mom once told me, "I cannot identify with what you are going through, but I hurt for you because you are my child."

God reminded me of that today when I was hurting for a close, sweet friend. God reminded me that He knows of our pain. He knows of our weakness. When we are brought to this point, then God truly works.

COMPASSION

God shows compasion for the weary and weak. God never said that we will always know why we endure the hardships we do. He just promised that He would never leave us, never fail us. But experiencing the hurt I felt today for a friend is not even a quarter of what she feels. But God does know her pain. Only He can restore her and ease the hurt.

Hurt.

It's deep. It's true. Just as God's love for us.

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23