Photo by Anastasiia Voitenko on Unsplash
I was flying, soaring like a bird, arms outstretched.
Not paying attention, and then AH! – What is that there in the sky? – And a sharp turn that spun me in circles as I nosedived. I was spinning and spinning, the hard ground beckoning closer.
And life sometimes feels like that, with the highs, lows, and pitfalls to avoid and crashing out of control.
One second, a youth raising my hand with all my effort, in fervent desperation to be picked for that promotion or opportunity.
And then, decades later, I’m too, sitting by the side of the road, homeless and friendless, holding my donation cup and wondering if I can find a few coins or some hope to get me through today’s dark night.
(Actually, I’ve never even been close to being homeless, but sometimes my interior life feels just as jumbled as their exterior life appears visibly.)
What do you do when life spins out of control and takes you with it?
Social media is good at depicting the moments in life when we are soaring in the sky like an eagle, enjoying the ocean view. And we’ve all had a few moments like these. But where do we go when the rain comes, we get kicked out of our nest, and our wounds and brokenness keep us stranded, exposing us to the weather as we sit and wait and wonder what to do next?
And as we hold out our cup seeking donations and hope like the other homeless people, as we look through the busy people rushing by us, we finally have the eyes to see that Jesus is crouched beside us, holding a blanket and a snack and offering his arms for a hug.
Got time for some comfort?
After writing the above, I went for a walk with her, the new friend.
She said this:
“Like everyone else, I was enjoying my life and had many good times.”
I imagined her Facebook and Instagram pages as she spoke.
“But then I suddenly crashed, realizing that my social drinks after work couldn’t easily be set aside, though I tried everything I could using my own strength. When I finally turned to Jesus and asked for help, things suddenly didn’t get easy, but He gave me the strength to put that dark chapter behind me. I am six years alcohol-free,” she continued.
“And people say I have fantastic strength to do that alone, but I know it wasn’t on my own – God gave me the strength.”
Her story fits here, that’s all.
What do your social media pages say, friend?
How are you really doing?
If you’ve recently crashed too, got time for a drink?
Jesus . . . cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.
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