When Saying "It's Going to Be OK" Isn't Enough

How many times do you run into a person in a day and the following exchange occurs. You can tell the other person looks tired, stressed, worried, upset, etc. You ask them if they are "ok" and they say "yes" or "I'll be fine" or something like that. If they tell you they are tired you respond with something like "I know how you feel" (A phrase many of us LOVE to use more often than we'd like to admit). Or, maybe the wheel is turned. YOU are the one having the bad day, and someone else responds to you in a similar way.

Well, this post isn't really about how we should respond to others when they seem upset or stressed, it's more about a testimony of how I am learning to deal with these day-to-day troubles, without SOLELY depending on the reassurance of others.

Let me first start by saying that God has blessed me with some AMAZING friends and family. I am never really at a loss of someone who will pray for me, listen, give a word of encouragement, etc. But, sometimes hearing "It's going to be ok" from a friend isn't enough.

Tonight I had such a moment. It was one of those moments when you are all alone, and you have time to "let out" all of your feelings. I found myself losing it. Crying for quiet a while, without an exact understanding of why. As some of you who are close to me know, I've been under quite a load of stress lately, on top of classes and teaching and work, with my living situation. Just when I thought I FINALLY found a quiet place of solitude, it turns out to be another case of "bad roomate-itis" :)

On top of all that, there are a lot of questions I'm still searching for answers to. Is school really the best place for me right now? Why am I STILL not in a relationship? Is teaching the best thing for me? Is there another way that is better? All of these questions seem to creep into my mind, demanding my attention, which destracts me from things that need to be done day-to-day.

Well, tonight, I think there was a serious "GOD" moment. As I sat at home, I realized first of all, it's OK to cry. Even when things aren't ok, or when things are ok...either way, human emotion is perfectly normal, and sometimes, we girls just need a "good cry". So, I did. And, with no one around to be embarassed by, I kept crying, until I started to feel the gentle Spirit whispering to me. I heard Him telling me that it's ok. That I don't need all the answers. I don't even need some of the answers. All I need is HIM. As I sat on my bed, with my thoughts and with God, I opened my Bible and read Psalm 118

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever......skip to verse 8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.

Finally, I felt like I had had a "break-through" Moving wasn't the solution to my problems. Talking to people wasn't either. Neither was trying to avoid them. All these things were my way of trying to solve the problem on my own. Instead, I now realize that the only way we can truly say "It's going to be ok" when our lives are chaotic, is when we know the God who runs the show. He's the one that allows us to be in these difficult situations, and because of them, we draw closer to Him.

Next time you have a hard day, pause for a moment. If you are like me, your first reaction is to find a near-by friend/family member and call them, or talk to them. Before you do that, try something. Find a place that is quiet. Sit in silence for a while, and don't say anything at all. God already knows your thoughts, worries, frustrations, and questions. Ask Him to speak to you in the quiet and to give you peace. Then, when you're done having your alone moment with God, go to that person you were going to go to, or do what you need to do. But remember that God is by your side, and that nothing you face in life EVER has to be on your own.

And that's my novel/sermon/word of encouragment/ whatever you want to call it!! Take it or leave it for whatever it's worth. Just remember,

GOD LOVES YOU and He's always there to let you know "It's going to be ok"