'HOLD MY HEART' ENCOURAGEMENT

I heard the words to this song by Tenth Avenue North and was blown away. This describes exactly how I've been feeling. These words encourage me because they tell me I'm not alone and not the only one in the world feeling this way. (I tend to believe that when I'm depressed.) Encouragement, no matter the form, makes a difference in my life.


How long must I pray to you
How long must I wait for you
How long til I see your face?

(I'm only) One tear in the dropping rain
One voice in the sea of pain
Could the maker of the stars
Hear the sound of my breaking heart?

One life that's all I am
Right now I can barely stand
If you're everything you say you are
Won't you come close and hold my heart?

I know He doesn't always tell me why He does the things He does. He doesn't always give me everything I want. He doesn't protect those I love from all harm and disappointment . But He does promise to hold me (and all who ask) in the midst of the storm.

The tension between my wrestling and my rest begins and ends with giving my heart to Him. He can handle all that is in there.

ENCOURAGMENT FOR THE HEART

Some days I worry that my heart will break in two. Just like today, as I looked around at my friends at church and realized the painful paths many are struggling with; one who has lost a mate to cancer, another just divorced, another whose kids just started an orhanage in Haiti before the earthquake that brought more devastation to an already hurting country. Some are from personal choices gone wrong, some are just results of living in a fallen world.

How do I trust God is good, knowing the challenges, heartaches and unanswered questions of life that affect all on this planet? How do I find courage to encourage others when I am in a vulnerable place myself?

Just as I give time and attention to nourishing my body, I need to be aware of what feeds and encourages my heart. Paula Rineheart says, "We must have our hearts intact in order to make the journey of life well. We must have access to the inside stuff-the longings and desires and dreams and vulnerabilities that make us who we are. God placed those in us and means for us to live from the heart."

So if that is His intention, I can choose to trust Him and stay close to the Shepherd who 'gathers His lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart,' according to Isaiah 40:11. I know His heart is stirred to compassion by my neediness and saddened by my sin. He loves me and all that is in my heart and yours too.

When I meditate on this Word day and night, strength, genunine caring and courage comes. Then I can go out in the world and encourage others from my heart.