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YOU MATTER |
Have you ever been so discouraged over your life’s situation that you doubted you would ever emerge to normalcy, as you knew it, again? Have you suffered from bouts of insomnia or another malady because your troubles seem insurmountable? If so, I can assure you that you are not alone; nor are you crazy or abnormal…. A year ago, I had the promise of a fabulous new job, a partnership that would launch the second half of my career, lasting until my retirement. I gave up a very lucrative, tenured position in order to begin…..but the fabulous job fell through and my world was turned upside down. Suddenly, I was without a job and without a home. Yikes! The fear I felt was indescribable, as were the large doses of humiliation and disappointment that came with it. When I prayed, I apologized for myself; however, there were times I could not pray at all. Many days and nights all I could do was ask God to read my heart because I couldn’t find words to speak to Him. Dark thoughts, really dark thoughts pervaded, and I was frightened beyond belief. One particularly dark and seemingly hopeless day, I attended a women’s prayer group. I was overwhelmed and did not know what to do, so I sat and cried through the entire meeting. One of the ministers saw my distress and invited me to the Chapel. I’m thankful that he was there. He listened through my tears and reassured me that God heard my prayers. He helped me to see that my plight, my unemployment, my life really mattered to God and that His love was sustaining me through these dark times. Wow, did I need to hear that! I began to feel God pulling at my heart and encouraging me that I could reach further than I thought was possible. That is how I made it through that day, and that wonderful church has gotten me through other difficult times, continually helping me see that my life matters to God and to the people of Lovers Lane United Methodist Church. At one point, due to my unemployment struggle, I thought I should back off because I didn’t feel like much of a contributor. However, what the people of the church made me see was that they were people with needs, people like me---real people with real problems---not just folks whose lives were smooth, delightful and easy. Our church welcomes all kinds of people, and lets all of them know they matter! Do I have a fabulous job yet? No. But do I know that I’m okay? Yes. Through the love of a lot of people and the opportunity to serve others I know, I KNOW I matter to God and Lovers Lane Church! I have learned that it is hard to concentrate on my own discouragement while I’m serving lunch to homeless people at the soup kitchen, just one of my many opportunities to help at Lovers Lane. The more I show that other people really matter, the more I understand that God loves us all. Do I still obsess about not knowing what God’s plan for me is? Sure. But, thanks to Lovers Lane United Methodist Church, I know He indeed has a plan. Pretty reassuring, don’t you think? We would love to hear from you! <Click here |