Letter

The following is an open letter . . .

To whom it may concern,

I've seen your posts on Facebook. The cries for attention, the rebellious words born in frustration and loneliness. How I long to gather you into my arms like a mother hen does with her chicks - to protect you from evil, to nurture you in love, and to teach you the ways of the world . . . oh, the dangers of the cold and often heartless world in which we live. It is not an easy place in which to live, is it? You're beginning to figure that out. Yet there you are. Wandering. Lost. Alone.

Well, what shall you do? Should you whine and complain? Should you follow the path of those who stab each other in the back with comments cast from a distant computer? Shall you try to make yourself feel better by putting others in your own life down? Or by picking up a bottle, or popping a pill? Whether you like it or not, you are being dragged, kicking and screaming, into a future that is dark, lonely and totally unknown.

"There must be something better!" you say. "There must be another path to follow!"

You have lied and been lied to. You have been persecuted, crushed and abandoned. But you have done your share of that to others as well. You have been hurt, experienced loss, felt totally alone and unloved. You are searching everywhere except the one place you need look!

Jesus came into this world to be a light in the darkness. but what do we do? We close our room darkening shades and light our OWN lives with the flickering glow of a television screen . . . with the "warm embrace" of a cozy laptop. We do everything in OUR power to make ourselves feel better, to make the pain go away . . . to be our OWN hero.

It's not working, is it?

We are our own worst enemy. Our pride, our selfish desire to "take care of ourselves" prevents us from discovering the very thing that can cure our sickness.

"12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." - Proverbs 14:12

I pray for you daily my child. It's frustrating to see you destroying yourself, and for what? Because someone left you alone? Because things didn't go the way you wanted? Seriously? Is that what your life comes down to? What YOU want? There is SO much more to life. So much more than what WE want. Like . . . what we NEED.

There is great potential in you, my friend. I have seen it. You have the ability to do great things. But there is something missing in your life. There is something missing from your very soul. That something . . . is Jesus.

When I first met you, you were a wreck. Love had been ripped from your life and it hurt. It hurt deeply. But self pity is not the answer. Neither is self-medication or mutilation. What you need is self-surrender. You need to surrender yourself . . . to Jesus.

We can go to the doctor and find out we have an deadly illness. The doctor can prescribe exactly what is needed. But somewhere, sooner or later, you are going to have to take the pills. You are going to have to place your faith in the ability of someone else. Someone who knows exactly how to help you. You are going to have to accept the diagnosis and fill yourself with the cure.

Yes, this life can be tough. Yes, it can be hard. But at some point you are going to have to get to the point of surrendering YOUR will to the will of the Great Physician. And His prescription is this:

Turn your life around. Give up the way of life that is slowly killing you. Turn your life over to Jesus, the cure, and surrender yourself. Reach out to Him and the people He has placed right in front of you. He has sent you the help you need. Take it.

It's not going to be easy. Taking that first step is the hardest thing to do. But soon you will be running. You will be running into the arms of someone who can ease your pain through His grace and compassion. He will calm your fears through His mercy and wisdom. He can save your life through redemption and forgiveness.

We all have gotten tired of the fight, we all thought we were at the end of the rope. But that's exactly where you will find Him. That's where Jesus is. Reach out and take His hand. Climb out of the crashing waves and get into the lifeboat He has provided for you. You can save yourself . . . you save your own life by simply losing it . . . by giving control of your life to someone else. Please, my friend, give your life to Jesus. He will walk with you for the rest of your life, and beyond. But it is you, my friend, who must take the first step.

I love you and pray for that day when I can call you brother.

"28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30

Come To Me by Aaron Shust