My life has been in a really good place the past couple of
months. Life has been treating me well. I have no wants, no needs, and few
struggles.
But in my season of seemingly ‘easiness’, the Lord has
placed people and families in my life that are in heart piercing situations.
Good and faithful people are struggling and suffering with hurt, sickness,
death, and the list goes on. It has been
difficult for me to watch and a lot to process.
There were days that I wondered aloud to God why I wasn’t
suffering. Seems bizarre to wonder such a thing, doesn’t it?
Then there were days when I just wanted to lock myself in my
room because the weight of all those friends hurting was pushing into my
‘perfect’ little world.
Then I would go through moments of pure anxiety—what if God
was preparing me for a storm? What if in this calm I was supposed to be getting
ready for a tragedy in my own life?
I finally became so utterly frustrated with my life that I
began to feel defeated. What was I missing? It was hard for me to express my
thoughts and emotions about it to friends because I knew it sounded stupid- I
was frustrated because “nothing was wrong”- I was afraid of being judged. I
finally expressed my thoughts to a mentor and friend. And what she said baffled
me- “People who are ‘suffering’ want ‘normal’ people in their lives to have fun
with, to enjoy life with, to pick them off of the ground, and to breathe life
back into them.”
It hit me like a ton of bricks when I realized that for the
past couple of months I had been completely and utterly selfish. I was so
focused on my problems- or lack there of, that I was missing the opportunities
the Lord had placed in my life to bless others, to be a small light of hope on
their dark days.
So, what does hope look like? What does it look like to
provide encouragement?
I’ve never been one to give words of encouragement. I can
listen really well and I can nod my head but I’m never very good at forming
words to mirror my heart. So my love languages are giving gifts and acts of
service. One of my favorite things to do is to give gifts on days that aren’t
holidays or birthdays. I love it when people aren’t expecting it and I love
trying to do it anonymously (but I’m AWFUL at lying so that doesn’t always work
out well.)
The Lord has given me the means and the ability in this
season to look people in the eye and say, “I’m here for you, but just in case
my words aren’t enough, here is a plate of cookies.”
So, if you’re in a place of hurt, a season of darkness, or
just having a bad day, please, give me a call, shoot me an email (my
favorite!), or show up on my doorstep and ask for a plate of cookies. I’m not
very good in the kitchen, so the cookies won’t change your life (and it’s just
a metaphor) but I’m confident in the fact that the Lord reveals to some of us
those who we can rely on and reveals to others of us those whom we can minister
to on day to day basis. I’m ready to pray for you. I’m ready to share what I know with you. I’m
ready to encourage you, as I know how.
My arms are open, my heart is ready, and my oven is on so
come on over and with the Grace of God maybe my cookie can give your day a little
silver lining.
