Do You Feel Like You Are Standing Alone?

Do You Feel Like You Are Standing Alone?

by Patricia Day

 Come to Me, all you who labor and toil, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke. Put it on your shoulders and learn from Me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest (Matthew 11:28, NIV).

Each morning, I read a devotional and the relevant Bible passage from the RBC Devotionals publication (www.rbc.org). I invariably receive a sense of balance and guidance, as I read of everyday challenges that other people encounter, and then read how to deal with the situation from the words in the Bible.

Today, there was a wonderful analogy of aloneness. You know, the aloneness that death brings, or separation or job loss. Any kind of loss that leaves you bewildered or angry, and on your own.   This is especially true for anyone who has lost loved ones in situations where they believe that they too should have succumbed. Left behind, they question why they survived?

The devotional tells of a lone tree in a field. All other trees have been felled for farm land, except that one standing in the middle of the field. Long ago, in farming communities, one tree was spared for a very good reason. Farmers left a single tree standing so that they, as well as, their animals, could have a cool, shady place to rest when the hot summer sun became too hot to bear.

Death leaves us in a place of great despair and need.

Our life must go on even though death has deprived us of one or more loved ones. Anger creeps in. We are robbed of inner peace. Despair fills our hearts as everything overwhelms us in the pain of grief, and we long to be anywhere – just not where we are. We might be guilty of wallowing in a pity-party. Life is too hard to tolerate. That’s okay, but to live life again, we’ve got to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and start over again.

 (God will give) comfort to all who mourn (Isaiah 61:2c, NIV).

The crushing emptiness left behind, when someone you care for dies, is agonizing. It is even more painful, if you do not have faith and believe in God’s awesome power.

He can give relief when everything and everyone else has failed. Just don’t give up.

Being a lone survivor can be transforming. Once grief eases (and it will, although it can take a long time), we begin to get in touch with everyday reality. One day, we’ll hear of a person dealing with loss, just as we have, and we’ll understand their agony.

This is the moment our past personal pain, can become the elixir of comfort for another human. We can offer them the shelter of understanding. We can simply say, “I know how it feels. How can I help?”

Just as the tree provides a reprieve from the heat of day, we can too, by providing emotional shelter.

Only God can give us complete shelter. He promises to do that is we lean on Him and trust in His guidance.

God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to Him (1 Peter 5:7 ,CEV).

Prayer:

Father God, help us in all our ways. Provide us with Your strength and comfort as we experience painful circumstances. Help us to never give up as we feel the aloneness of loss. Let us become a place of comfort for others. Amen

 Tweetable:

God can give us relief when everyone and everything else has failed. (tweet this)

Do you feel like you are standing alone? There’s hope. (tweet this)

 

Patricia Day

Writing has always been a passion of Patricia’s. She believes that she expresses herself better in writing. Patricia enjoys creating short stories and devotionals. Other favourite past-times include family-time; gardening; reading; walking and listening to good music.

Patricia is married and the mother of two sons and stepmom to a son & daughter. Best of all, she is Nana to ten grandchildren. Look for her devotionals at Pepe Prays  and her blog Patricia E. Day .

Patricia recently completed her first novel – Eleanor, A Stolen Childhood . she is currently at work on second novel, Priscilla – Hidden in the Shadows.