When I’m struggling I go all quiet and don’t really want to talk to anyone. I also try not to look anyone directly in the eye for any more than a brief second at a time.
Why? Because I’m scared that if anyone looks me straight in the eyes for more than a second or two, they’ll see my deepest feelings and emotions, and therefore know exactly how I feel. That in turn will make me fall apart and that, you may remember if you’ve been reading my blog for a while, would be my worst nightmare…falling apart in public.
Many people I’ve spoken to about my fear of falling apart have told me it would be good for me just to “let go”…they really do not understand how scary a thought that is for me. To be honest I’ve always felt I’d rather sit in a room by myself for hours than fall apart in public, and despite being told repeatedly it would be good for me to “let go”, I will continue to do all I can to stop my nightmare coming true in public!
Just because I don’t fall apart in public does not mean I never “let go” because I do. However I do agree it might me nice if someone was there to give me a hug and reassure me when I do fall apart - But the thought of doing that in public it so scary for me I’ll be trying my best to make sure that doesn’t happen!
Comfortable is something I think we all wish to be, whether that be financially, emotionally, in our friendships or in your home. But have you ever considered using the word “comfortable” when it comes to your spiritual welfare?
Comfortable is not a word I think you’ll find many Christians using to describe their spiritual journey, as we all still experience difficulties in life whether we believe in Christ or not. Therefore I liked the following statement by Francis Chan:
But God doesn’t call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn’t come through.
This is all backed up my scriptures where again we are reminded that we will face difficulties, but God will be there by our side, throughout these times, and guide us through.
So just because you may have accepted Christ in your life, don’t expect your Christian journey to be a comfortable one. However be assured that God will always comfort you.
What can hurt someone, just as easily as can comfort them?
Words!
As I touched on in yesterday’s blog post Watch your Words, it can be so very easy to say things which to the listener can be hurtful, even though that wasn’t the intention.
At the opposite end of the scale, words can be full of love and affection and can offer the strength and encouragement to someone at a time of deepest need. Personally this week I’ve experienced so many of the later…words of comfort and encouragement.
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
It is wonderful when folk offer words of encouragement and support during a time of struggle and concern. Because of this I’ve been reminded of the wonderful piece of music entitled My Comfort and Strength, as it has been exactly what I’ve received from so many of you this week.
Thank you all for your support and prayers, it really is appreciated.
As always though, I know my biggest comforter and source of strength this week has been Jesus. I thank Him for always being with me and giving me the strength to get through each day and support my Mum during this difficult time.
I’m sure you will have heard this phrase many times:
Home is where the heart is
But what does that actually mean? Well here’s a great definition I came across a few days ago:
When I walk into my home I feel peace. I feel I am in the most safe environment that I could be in. There are no worries or problems within the walls of my home. It is the one place that I can truly be me. My family is here and love and comfort surrounds me. I am in my world where everything around is me. To know that this is the place where my family and myself have established together and that we all have our special space within our home and spaces where we can come together is why our home is where our hearts are.
How does that definition sound to you?
For me I still think of myself as having three homes…no we’re not really really rich and got two secret hideaways!
My current home is definitely here with my hubby of seventeen years. Just as the above definition says, my home is where my family (hubby) is and love and comfort surrounds me. What more could I ask for?!
So I have my current home with hubby, but a very close run second home to me is still my Mum and Dad’s house where I lived from aged 10 until I got married. Mum and Dad still live in that house and so again, just like the above definition says, it’s a place where my family are and we love and comfort one another. Once again, what more could I ask for?!
Finally, my third “home”…This one’s a bit different because it’s not a place I’ve every lived and is unlikely to ever be one where I would live, however it is still “home” to me. Confused? Let me explain…
I’m sure you’ve probably heard the expression “spiritual home”, well that’s what my third home is, it’s my spiritual home!
So where is my spiritual home? It’s not as you might think, my current church and place of worship. No, it’s Rutherglen Salvation Army, the corps I grew up in, and worshipped there until 2002 when I transferred to Bellshill Salvation Army. Does that surprise you? In some ways it still surprises me, however when I think about how much I learned as a Christian and all I participated in at Rutherglen, it shouldn’t really surprise me…I became a junior soldier, later a senior soldier of the Salvation Army there; I was a member of both the junior and senior bands and choirs; I was a member of the Corps Cadets; I was the YP Record Sargeant for many years; I was singing company and then songster accompanist; I was deputy songster leader and then songster leader; but most importantly I learned and grew as a Christian and Salvationist.
My Mum’s side of the family were some of the founding members of Rutherglen Salvation Army, I have a heritage at Rutherglen, my past, present and future were moulded there…Rutherglen Salvation Army is most definitely my spiritual home.
Take a few minutes out to consider the place or places you consider to be home, and why. These places have moulded you and made you the person you are today.
I thank God for allowing me to lucky enough to have three places I can call home.
Home by Nichole Nordeman
Bright are the stars that shine in somebody else’s sky Green is the grass that grows some place different More possibilities, more than You offered me More than I care to see from a distance
I was certain that the truth would be In a place that kept eluding me But every stone turned and unturned again Would only serve to prove That I never had to move to find You
And You will always be The only love I’ll ever know, home And You have made for me The only place I’ll ever go, home
God, for the shameless pride The times when I rolled my eyes To laugh at simplicity, show me mercy Knowing what I know now it’s hard to imagine how I could feel anything but unworthy
And the mystery of Your love for me Is not as hidden as it seemed to be Should have known then when You said to me ‘Seek and you will find’ It was right here all the time
And You will always be The only love I’ll ever know, home And You have made for me The only place I’ll ever go, home
I believe in the quest and the journey I believe that the answers come in time And where we begin is where we arrive
And You will always be The only love I’ll ever know, home And You have made for me The only place I’ll ever go, home
You’re the comforter to the lonely The lifter of my head I see You veiled in majesty We cry glory, glory We cry glory to the King
Lord,my heart cries out Glory to the King My greatest love in life I hand You everything Glory,glory I hear the angels sing.
Open my ears Let me hear Your voice To know that sweet sound Oh my soul rejoice Glory,glory I hear the angels sing
You’re the Father to the fatherless The answer to my dreams I see you crowned in righteousness We cry glory to the King Comforter to the lonely The lifter of my head I see You veiled in majesty We cry glory,glory We cry glory to the King
We cry glory glory We cry glory to the King
God is there in the depth of our despair and in the heights of our joy - Who else is there like that?
God is there for the lonely and gives them comfort – Who else is there like that?
God loves us unconditionally – Who else is there like that?
So how should we repay Him?We should give Him glory…Glory to the King!
Somebody’s prayin, I can feel it Somebody’s prayin’ for me Mighty hands are guiding me To protect what I can’t see Lord I believe, Lord I believe That somebody’s prayin’, for me.
Angels are watchin’, I can feel it Angels are watchin’ over me There’s many miles ahead ’til I get home Still I‘m safely kept before your thrown ‘Cause Lord I believe, Lord I believe Your angels are watchin’ over me.
Well, I’ve walked through barren wilderness When my pillow was a stone And I’ve been through the darkest caverns Where no light had ever shown. Still I went on ’cause there was someone Who was down on their knees And Lord. I thank you for those people Prayin’ all this time for me.
Somebody’s prayin’, I can feel it Somebody’s prayin’ for me Mighty hands are guiding me To protect me from what I can’t see Lord I believe, Lord I believe Somebody’s prayin’ for me…
Have you ever been struggling and in need of help and suddenly had a real feeling of great comfort and peace? Could it be that you felt the reassurance in the knowledge that someone somewhere was praying for you?
It is wonderful to know that others are praying for you. It’s even more wonderful to know that God is listening to their prayers and will answer them.
In the last couple of days I’ve looked at things that cause us to shed a tear (in Tears) and at how words can cause great hurt and upset but can also be a source of great comfort (in The Power of Words. So words are an important means of communication to us, they can comfort, encourage, teach, direct, advise. We must use them wisely.
The Bible is God‘s means of communicating with us through the medium of the written word, and as such should be a source of great inspiration, direction anc comfort for every Christian.
I read the following recently:
There are things to see in the Word of God that our eyes can only see through the lens of tears – John Piper
When I first read this statement it confused me, and so I spent some time thinking about what it actually meant – I may not have understood this sentence in the manner intended by the writer, however he’s what I took out of this statement:
Much of what we read in the bible can be interpreted and understood at any time, whenever it is read, however there are some parts of the bible that we can only truly understand when we have actually experienced specific situations/events. i.e. We have to have been there, got the t-shirt. In other words we must have felt those same emotions and shed some tears, to truly understand God’s message.
Let your emotions allow you to feel and understand God’s message to you today. Take a fresh look at the Bible and experience it through your own life experiences.
(Chorus)
I don’t know what to say
That hasn’t already been said
I don’t know what to write
That hasn’t already been read
I don’t know what to play
That You haven’t already heard
So here’s my song, You write the words
Here’s my heart, You write the words
Amazing Grace has already been written Jesus saves has been done before And the Hallelujah Chorus Has been sung a million times or more So who am I to make any difference Tell me why I pour out my heart And struggle for the words That I know might not go very far
(Chorus)
There are days when I sing for the masses When my songs get repeated back to me by thousands And there are days when I know That the only one who hears me is You So what do I do – when
I came across this beautiful little poem about friendship which I want to share with you:
There’s a miracle called Friendship
That dwells within the heart,
And you don’t know how it happened
Or when it get its start.
But the happiness it brings you
Always gives a special lift.
And you realize that friendship
Is God’s precious gift.
Great friendships can be the source of great comfort in times of need, and great joy during your happiest times. Look after your friendship, they will grow into something very special if you nurture and care for them.
You Are Always There by the International Staff Songsters of the Salvation Army:
At times like these it’s hard to find the right words to say,
And I know that words alone won’t take the pain away.
But, I know a man who sits high, and looks low,
And He is saying, “My child, you’re not alone.”
He is saying, “I love you and I am concerned about you,
And all the pain and hurt that you are going through.”
He is saying, “Lean on me, I will be your comfort through this time.
And although it’s dark now, the sun again will shine.”
Even though it’s hard to see through tears that you now cry,
Just know that there will come a day when your tears, He will dry.
And though words alone won’t ease the pain that you now feel,
Just know that in time, your heart, He will heal.
I pray that God will give you peace, and strength in your heart
As He holds you in His arms, and from you, He won’t depart.
May you always be encouraged, may you ever hold on.
And remember, “My child, you’re not alone.”
When we feel alone and isolated:
who do we need? God
what do we need? Love
I pray all who are experiencing loneliness at this time will find God and find the love and comfort they need in Him.
I Need Youby Sonicflood:
You know who I am inside
You know when I lie
You can tell when I’m amazed
You can see my faith
You know when I don’t believe
You know when I’m free
You can tell when I need love
You know I’m in need
Love, I need love
You are love
I need You
Love, You are love
I need love
I need You
You know of my deepest fear
You know when I’m scared
You can read my empty page
You can feel my rage
You’re aware of when I dream
You see when I bleed
You can tell when I need love
You know I’m in need
I know we need You, Father
Much more than any other
Your love brings us together
We need You, we need You
Love, we need love
You are love
We need You
Love, You are love
We need love
We need You I need You.
Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed— and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors— and they have no comforter. Ecclesiastes 4:1-2 – New International Version
We live in a world full of sin where there is imbalance of power, oppression, tears, and for many, no comforter. We each have times in our lives when we are weighed down by the things we face in our every day life.
While those around us may see our tears, they are not always able or willing to comfort us, so where do we go from here? God sees everyone’s tears. We may not always see or be aware of God, so we fail to comprehend His power and His compassion.
Jesus is God’s response to our tears as He is our comforter, our Saviour. While Jesus was on earth, He too was oppressed, but remained a “comforter” to others. Therefore, while we suffer oppression and need Jesus as our comforter, we “see the tears” of others, so we must step in to comfort them, just as God has comforted us.
Why? Because I’m scared that if anyone looks me straight in the eyes for more than a second or two, they’ll see my deepest feelings and emotions, and therefore know exactly how I feel. That in turn will make me fall apart and that, you may remember if you’ve been reading my blog for a while, would be my worst nightmare…falling apart in public.
So where is my spiritual home? It’s not as you might think, my current church and 
I read the following recently:
At times like these it’s hard to find the right words to say,
