When You're Hurting and You Feel Alone

There are times when we feel lost and so alone. Moments when we wish we could reach out to a friend, but we can't find the courage to bare our soul. We feel that we are our only companion. Though we wish we could share our hurting heart with someone, we feel we have no one to tell our story to. 

At times like these, we have to stop the self-perpetuating thoughts that drag us down into the depths of self-pity and anguish. Distraction may help us to shift our thoughts. Redirecting the mind is a really good tool when feelings of loneliness or grief overwhelm us. 

Think of something that really absorbs your thoughts, a project that requires you to focus your mind and your energies onto specific details. Here are a few suggestions for when you're feeling consumed by your sadness and you feel all alone:

• Do something kind for yourself! Take a nice, hot bath or shower. Go for a walk in nature. Taking time to nurture your body is an amazing way to soothe your soul. 

• Eat. Good food does so much more for our mood than shoving sweets or salty chips into our system, even though that may be what we crave. The task of preparing healthy food is mind-consuming and the smell of sauteing, sizzling food awakens an appetite you thought was gone.
• Do something kind for someone who is hurting even more than you are. Shifting our focus away from our troubles and to the aid of another is the best way to get outside of our own thoughts.
• Sing. I know that sounds crazy, because singing is the last thing your heart wants to do. But somehow, even singing through your tears elevates your heart to a new level of understanding in your grief. Try it sometime. You might feel ridiculous at first, and certainly it won't be your best, but you're not performing. You're singing to your soul, giving it the gift of life. 

Most importantly, remember that we are never really alone. Our lifetime companion, the One who made us, is always with us. The God who loves us unconditionally and forever is the God of Love. Reach out your heart to Him, give Him your tears and your loneliness, and you will know that you are not alone. 

God is always with us, and wants to be near to our hearts. I can't describe how it works, but I know that when I reach out to God in my pain, I feel peace wash over me and I am comforted. 

Haven't talked to God in awhile? Now is a really good time to start. Just call upon His name, and tell Him your pain. You will know He is there to hear your hurt and calm you. And you won't have to bear your pain alone. 

Reach out, my friends. There may be sorrow in the night, but there is joy in the morning. Every day is new. A chance to begin again. Life is awakening all around us, and we can awaken to a new relationship with God and with ourselves. I promise it will be worth the effort it takes to get out of bed, and leave the darkness behind you. 

If you would like, you can leave a comment below so that I may pray for you. You may post anonymously, if you wish. God knows who you are. And I would be honored to pray on your behalf.

Casting Crowns has a song for these feelings of loneliness and sadness.When you're trying to hold on but feel like you can't hold on another minute. I've found it to be a great comfort and reminder that we are never truly alone, that God is always with us. He just a thought or prayer away. And He loves us. Unconditionally.

This song resonates in my heart, and I grab onto these promises and hold on for dear life in times when I can't see the forest for the trees. Mark Hall & Casting Crowns... Just Be Held

Subscribers can click on Hope to find to view this video on my blog site.

Mobile users who can't access the video here can go to YouTube.

It’s the Little Things

Do you find God in the little things of life? I believe we need to be mindful of our situation in order to have the awareness to let the Spirit move us. If this sounds confusing, let me share with you what happened to me yesterday morning.

I decided to take the time to go for a walk. It was cold, just below freezing, so I dug out the array of winter scarves, hats and gloves. I brought along some extra clothes, and drove to a nearby park.

Listening to KLOVE while I drove into the park, a woman shared a cute story of how her daughter was outside as the hurricane blew in. She was out there shouting praises to God with all of her little voice. When her mother asked why, the little girl said, “Because the Bible tells us we should praise God in the storm!”

That story made me laugh, and sure enough, right afterward the DJ played Casting Crowns’ “Praise You in this Storm”. So here I am sitting in my SUV in the parking lot at Fox River Park, singing with all my heart, with my hands raised, praising God, and I see a couple walk by on a nearby trail. Hmmm, I wonder if they saw me. Oh, well. I kept right on singing.

It came to the part in the song that contains one of my favorite scriptures: “I lift my eyes unto the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth”.  And just as I am singing and praising God, a beautiful hawk flies into view, rising over the parking area, soaring low, right in front of where I was parked. He soared slowly, almost hovering, it seemed, and I could clearly see his markings as he faced headlong into the morning breeze. The moment seemed frozen in time, just me and this beautiful bird, and God filled my heart so much that I began to weep with joy. Powerful emotions of connectedness to God and all living things poured through me, and in those brief moments, I felt my spirit connected with the hawk and with God, and I felt great comfort.

I went on my walk, pausing at picnic tables and benches to soak up the morning sun and to pray for friends and family and others dealing with difficult situations.  My walk became a meditation, a connection to earth and sky. 

The three-quarter moon hung in the morning sky, though the sun was already bright; and a bank of soft white clouds framed the picture. It felt ethereal, and I gave thanks for this beautiful world that God has given us to live on.  I was filled with a sense of wonder and awe that we should be so blessed to have this beauty while we are yet on this earth.

The truth is, I could just as easily have stayed home on my computer and whiled away the hours. I’m speaking from experience here. But I am so glad that I chose to go for a walk with God in the morning. There are many things vying for our time, and we have to choose to make time for moments like these that nourish our spirit. 

If you’ve ever had an experience like this, a God moment, won't you share your story? If you would like to, you can post in the comments below so others can read it, too (you can even post anonymously if you'd like).

I think what makes a God moment is perhaps not that we were looking for God in that moment, but that He came to us, with a gentle nudge, a whisper in a glorious sunset, or a song to let us know that we are not alone, we are never alone. In that moment we feel a tremendous connection to Spirit, and the after effect is a blessed peacefulness.

Take time, make time, to be alone with your God. Pour out your heart to Him, and then be still. Answers may not come right away, but know that He hears us, and rest in the comfort of His love, for that is ever present.

I'll check back later to read your stories. Right now, I think I'll go take a walk.

  

Here is a link to a 'When We LIft Our Eyes' where I shared the scripture I mentioned above, along with a beautiful song by Bebo Norman. Or go to 'Praise God through the Storm' to hear Casting Crowns' "Praise You in this Storm" and enjoy a beautiful video.

God's Grace in Forgiveness

Sunday Scripture

and a

Song

"He does not treat us as our sins deserve 

    or repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

    so great is his love for those who fear him; 

as far as the east is from the west,

    so far has he removed our transgressions from us."

Psalm 103:10-12

We need not live with regret over past choices.

We need only to ask God for forgiveness, and repent of our wrongdoing.

Then we will receive God's forgiveness,

and know His Peace.

Enjoy listening to Casting Crowns as Mark Hall sings of the grace of Jesus Christ who has forgiven all our sins.

Casting Crowns

East to West

Subscribers please click here to view this video on my blog.

Praise God through the Storm

Sunday Scripture

and a

Song

"Naked I came from my mother's womb,

naked I'll return to the womb of the earth.

God gives, God takes.

God's name be ever blessed."

Job 1:21 (The Message) 

No matter what storm you are facing, trust that God is there with you. 

This video accompanies Casting Crowns' powerful song 

"Praise You in this Storm"

Subscribers please click here to view this video on my blog.

Who I Am

Sunday Scripture

and a

Song

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; 

it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”  Ephesians 2:8-10 (NLT)

The Song "Who Am I?" by Casting Crowns was the song that defined me and called me into my music ministry. Through the words in this song, Mark Hall describes how temporary and insignificant this life is compared to the great gift from God through His Son, Jesus Christ that allows us to know we are God's children and we are loved.

Subscribers please click here to view this video on my blog.