Seeking help...

Have no fear, for I am with you; do not be looking about in trouble, for I am your God; I will give you strength, yes, I will be your helper; yes, my true right hand will be your support.
~ Isaiah 41:10
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This morning I read a friend's story of how physical pain and depression nearly caused him to take his own life. We don't always know the pain that others carry. There is no easy answer for everything, and sometimes just telling someone, "I will be praying for you," isn't enough.

I have shared before that my taking photos and writing about what I am feeling all came about because of an exercise following a terrible bout with depression, and that the discipline of writing each day actually came out of that experience.

​I wish that among the journeys that are shared of Christ in the gospels that somewhere he would have encounteted, "the man with depression."

Of course, many of the miracles that he performed helped to change the lives of those he touched. I have often wondered with so many people suffering from PTSD today, if those he cured ever worried about once again becoming ill or paralyzed in some way?

Living beyond our pain, experiences, or times when we have been overwhelmed by something is what Jesus asks us to do when he tells us that there will be a place that he will prepare for us where our lives will be filled with peace, and that eternity will replace death, and we will live in harmony.

All of which serves to help us through our daily life, and to encourage us. But making it through our daily life just simply can seem to be too much at times.

I'm thankful for the fact that my friend is still with us, and for his courage to tell his story, and I pray that he will find a way to take his experience to discover a new way of addessing his pain.

For those who may sense that things are too much, or are overwhelming, please reach out and ask for help. It is not a sign of weakness, or that your faith seems to be failing. It is a chance for hope and for healing.

If you or someone needs help, please reach out and call the suicide hotline at 1-800-273-8255. It is available 24 hours everyday.

Stay in God's grip!

​G. Todd Williams (c) 2018