Roller coaster

   Roller coaster, that is the word I would use to describe this week as far as my emotions/attitude is concerned.  Do you ever feel like some weeks you have to push harder to be submissive? Meaning, do you ever feel like you have to push harder to bring your attitude under control in order to be completely open to God?  I wanted to have a bad attitude for most of this week, because I felt overwhelmed, but I had to really pour out my heart to God and dig into the Word in order to have an attitude of submission.
  One of my favorite quotes comes from Mother Teresa, "I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish He didn't trust me so much."
   I needed daily reminders this week that everything is going to be okay.  I needed to be reminded of God's faithfulness.  I know that everything is going to be okay and I know that God is faithful, but sometimes I just need to stop and meditate on what that means.  I needed to be reminded of God's faithfulness in light of the diseases, abuse, pain, and suffering in this world.
  My eyes have been open this week to the hurting people who surround me on a daily basis and it just breaks my heart that so many people can go through their whole day hurting and never really tell anyone what is going on their lives.  They are trying  so hard to just contain inside all their hurt, anger, and pain in order to just get through the day and move on to tomorrow.  On top of that, you have some people who are better at hiding their suffering than others, so you can never really tell around you who is hurting unless you really get to know them and build a relationship of trust.
 When I look at the people who are around me that are truly crying out on the inside for help, it breaks my heart.  I am at a lost for words. Going back to Mother Teresa's quote, I know that God has put these people into my life for a reason but I wish he didn't trust me so much.

What do you do when you feel like any day you might get a phone call that one of your friends has committed suicide?

What do you do when find out that your co-worker is cutting themselves because they have felt unloved for most of their life?

What do you do when you find out that one of your relatives or friends has a terminal illness?

What do you do when you find out that your friend is getting a divorce?

What do you do when you find out that your friend feels completely alone in life most of the time?

Let's just face it, life sometimes sucks but thank God that there is more than just this life.  All of the pain and suffering that takes place here won't take place in heaven.  My answer to all of the questions above is to pray and love those around you just as God has loved you.  This does not mean love someone from a distance for God does not love you from a distance, He is always present.  If you really follow those two things and if you really do that, not only will the lives around you be changed but you will be changed as well.  I am talking about a complete transformation.

"If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails," (1 Corinthians 13:3-8a).