Life is hard

Freakin hard.

Sometimes, it seems, circumstances are all that matters. We get caught up in what we have or don't have. We compare ourselves to others. We look to relationships, to money, to comfort, to success, anything and everything that we think will satisfy us. And sometimes, it does, for a brief moment. Then it all fades and we wake again to the reality that life is supposed to be more.

I spoke to a friend today who is dealing with this struggle. He is neck deep in a world that is chaotic and he is tired. So tired, he wants it all to end.

So what do I say to him? What could I say to him? Does anything make it better?

How do you express the peace found in your relationship with Christ? A relationship that is so intense and gripping that even in the middle of feeling hopeless and exhausted, you can survive. HE makes it bearable.

I've been there. I've been blinded by my wounds and anything anyone says doesn't help. All I felt was hurt and in the middle of that, it's the only thing real.

Quite a few years ago, I heard a speaker at school say...

"Our feelings are real. They are not always true, but they are always real."

So what is true? It's so hard to not rely on your feelings. "The heart is deceitful above all things." We want to believe our heart. That gut feeling. We want to rely on what we see and feel but to walk in truth, we have to think. And focusing on truth is sometimes damn near impossible.

I love my friend. But I can't say anything. I can only look to the One who has carried me so many times, through what I thought I would not survive. He alone can change hearts. He alone can make it better. And I trust He will.