I almost always, only see men at the corner asking for money, so I was surprised to see a woman sitting there. As she approached my open window and outstretched arm, I could see her makeup was applied too generously. I wanted to scoff at her attempt to look pretty, until I spotted it. The telltale sign of a black bruise under her right eye that the makeup couldn’t hide.
The sadness in this young woman’s eyes wounded my heart. As our eyes met and she took the bill from my hand, I felt empty. I knew that would be the only interaction we would ever have. I also knew that the pain of her struggle would not be so easily comforted by my contribution.
When My Heart Cries Out
As I drove on, I became angry. I wanted to gather armies to deliver this unknown fellow traveler of life. I wanted to charge into her life and rescue her from all who would abuse and harm her. No one deserves that abuse under any circumstance.
After our meeting, I couldn’t stop thinking about this roadside soul. Part of me wanted to shut the thought of her off so that I could forget her pain and mine. To have the knowledge of another’s suffering and be unable to heal it is devastating. I was tormented by the circumstances of a person I interacted with for only a few minutes. I wanted to heal this person’s hurt and comfort her affliction. I wanted to give her hope for a better future. I wanted her to have peace and joy. The merciless truth is that I have no wand to magically transform her life and it makes me feel helpless. Our brief exchange left me broken.
In the end, when my heart cries out, all I have for her are tears. And my prayers. But the God I know is the One who has captured my tears in His bottle. He treasures each one. And I know that my prayers, shrouded in my heart for a storm-battered soul, will not be forgotten before Him. He remembers and will not forget.
He sees her shattered life and cares for her. He knows how the world has risen against her. This world is not what He intended, so He has made a new one. It is a place of peace, love and friendship. It is a world where each person cares for the other and no one will be harmed ever again.
Not of This World
You see, He is not of this world. The world didn’t make Him. He made the world. You will stand in His presence and He will dry the tears from your eyes. He will comfort you and give you hope.
Do you not know Him? He has many names. Some are, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace and Jesus Christ.
Have you suffered extreme pain? It may be difficult to suffer and believe in a living and loving God. Whatever path brought you to the point of suffering in your life, know that what you have suffered is a taste of the death of this world. Every act of violence, every word that is designed to wound and every intention of the heart that purposely takes from another human soul are forms of death that we experience and endure in this world. But it is not that way with Jesus Christ.
Peace, Hope, Faith and Love
Jesus Christ wants you to have peace, hope, faith and love. He is waiting to lead you to still waters where you can be encouraged and rest in Him and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is real and He has prepared, Forever, for you so that you will never again have to endure the pain of this world.
Do you already believe in Jesus Christ? Then may He rise up to scatter your enemies and strengthen you to endure so that you may stand before Him on the day He calls you home.
Maybe you don’t know who Jesus Christ is. Let me introduce you to Him. He is the One who encourages you to care. He is the One who has taught you to love. I don’t mean giving yourself to another human being during the brevity of intimacy. I mean, He is the One who has taught you to express love in the forms of caring and nurturing for all beings great and small.
Have you ever held a little baby in your arms? If so, know then, that holding an infant is one of the Universe’s greatest, beautiful things in life. True love is made of beautiful things. When you nurture and protect that eternal being in the form of a helpless baby, you are expressing true love. That love, is God in you. God is love and He created you with that love inside you.
This world of death will try to steal that love from you. It will lie to you and tell you that type of love isn’t real, but you were born to love. The world can’t stop that love in you. Love is always waiting to flow from your heart, to your lips and feet and arms. It was put there by God. No one and nothing can take it away from you. You were hard-wired, so to speak, with love from the very beginning of your first spark of life.
Be Not Unbelieving, but Believing
You don’t believe me? I find that hard to accept. Perhaps you have expressed love and didn’t realize it. Here are some examples. As a child, did you ever make a drawing for your mother? Did you ever kiss your father and tell him “I love you, daddy”? Have you ever hugged your sister? Did you ever forgive a friend? How about lending a helping hand to someone in need?
I believe you know these deeds because you have expressed them countless times throughout your life. In fact, you have done these so often, they have become commonplace and almost forgotten that you do them or have done them in the past. You were made to love. You have simply forgotten who you are.
Jesus Christ has not forgotten you or who you are. He is calling you today. He knows the path you have walked and He wants to guide you into a new path. It is the path of life. It is the path that leads home to Him. Can you honestly say the path you are on is filled with love, hope, faith and joy? Does your path give you peace that surpasses all understanding? I know, there are many great and difficult struggles in this life. There is no way around them, but God wants to lead you through them. You will see His hand at work in your life when you turn to Him. When you give your life to Him, you will be able to hear the words He has been saying to you since you were born; “Not as the world, do I love you”.