Falling

This is essentially a note I wrote on Facebook the other day and i'm sharing it here as my first post!

"As some of you may know.. I've been on a real downer recently, emotional slump of sorts and it's really been getting me down.
And it's got me thinking about falling away from yourself. Losing faith in who you are, where you're going. You drowning in your fears. Drowning in your sorrow. Feeling completely useless and a huge dissapointment to everyone around you. And I was on that road again, crying out to God to help me through it, praying for peace and guidance on what to do during these tough times and where I'm going. Psalm 121:1-2 says this:

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

I guess when you're in times of trouble the only one you can really look up to and seek help is from God, you need to keep focusing on him. Because ultimately God is the creator of life, the universe and everything. He's got it all in his hands and we should seek him because he is the almighty and wants to help us in anyway he can. Heck he sent his son to die for us so that we could have eternal life if we accept Jesus as our saviour. How amazing is that?!

The rest of Psalm 121 says:
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

How encouraging is it to know that the Lord Almighty is watching over us? He doesn't need us, but he wants us and wants to help us. As the Psalm says; he watches over us, keep us from harm. Both now and forevermore. How amazing is that? Well God is a good God, he cares about us and loves us. It says in John 3:16 'For God so LOVED the world.' He loves you guys!

Does God keep with his promises? Most certainly but he can impact your lives in mysterious ways. I was crying out for guidance. Feeling as though I was falling and fading fast. And God came, not through a shining light or a flash of lightning or even a talking Donkey. No, he works in mysterious ways, in this situation he spoke to me through my friend.

Many of you may know that I have a penpal from Poland who I talk to on a regular basis. His name is Paul and he suffers from Cerebral Palsy. Everyday he's teased and ridiculed about it, people are afraid to be genuine around him. They spread rumours about him and mock him, but do you know what he said to me tonight? He said:
'If I had to choose, I'd always choose the life I am living now as broken vessel. It is mere a flaw that can be perceived as beautiful like a crack in the stone.'

and then later one:
'Just that's how my life goes. Some people will see it as a flaw, barely a stone crack yet some will look at it as a beautiful asset.'

Think about it guys, so many people are against him, but he doesn't let people get him down. He views the beauty of the ugly. The light in the darkness. He suffers on a daily basis, but he's always happy to talk to me, he's always happy to help who he can. In fact he tells me that he helps his friends with their problems when no one else wants to listen. He took his friend to a school dance when she had no one else. I tell you, this is such an admirable thing to do. To not let anything hold you back from using your 'beautiful asset' as he put it.

Those words cut me deep, they showed me that God is evident in the people who need him. God helps everyone and is there for everyone. EVERYONE falls, everyone hurts and has their heart broken. But we shouldn't let it get us down. God is here for us! He loves us! Just trust in him and 'he will make your paths straight' (Proverbs 3:6)

so if you're like Ben Powrie and don't like to read long things..
tl;dr
2 things:
Be inspired! People hurt on a daily basis and face so much every day, but they don't let it get them down. Do you want to be the same? Do you want to make a difference and stand strong to help those who are falling? Stand firm in Christ!!

And last but by no means least.. When you are falling and everything just seems to be going away. You're breaking down and hurting. Trust God! For those that know me, I use the quote' When the world is falling out from underneath, I'll be found in God' He loves us and wants to take our weights from us like the loving father he is. Seek him, He sent his son Jesus Christ to die for us so that we are dead ourselves to the consequences of sin! (if we accept him into our lives) Isn't that amazing? We should rejoice! God wants to help so give it all to him.

Just wanted to share that with you, and I hope it encouraged some of you!
God bless everyone!
Nat

(I'm happy now for all those that were wondering)"