A Wake Up Call

We all have our fantasies. It helps to have something or someone bring us back to reality.

I find this in psalm 34.  It reads

The Lord confronts the evildoers, 
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the Lord hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.

That is the kind of God I've wanted. I want a God who confronts those who do evil, and destroys their remembrance from the face of the earth.

But in my experience, God does not do that. At least, not that often. Not as often as I would like.

And so, further along that same psalm, we read:

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
Many are the troubles of the just person,
but out of them all the Lord delivers.

It's as if we are shown our fantasies, and then the reality of life.

That reality is not easy to accept. We will be broken. We will be in distress. None of us wants that.

When I serve individuals with struggles, I tell them in that first session that I cannot remove all of their struggles. I can only offer them tools so they can handle it better. I can walk with them as they process injurious incidents and heal.

I can see that God promises me the same. God does not give me my fantasies. God will not protect me from all the injurious incidents in life. God only promises to be close to me when I am brokenhearted or crushed in spirit.

That's why it is important to support one another. We have each experienced some form of pain and disappointment. It can be from partners, children, or friends. Life happens.

And when it does, it helps to have someone close who empathizes. It helps to have a friend who listens. Because such a person can help us heal and not be destroyed.