LET ME ENCOURAGE YOU

If you look at the state of affairs in the world today there is no doubt that things are not as easy as they used to be. People are in serious debt, they cannot get themselves out of it, there is chaos everywhere you look, one disaster or another, wars here and there. There is pressure everywhere, on all of us to the point of perplexity. You wonder sometimes what is going on. You sometimes think "why me?" but I can assure you that you are not alone. What you think you are suffering or going through now somebody somewhere is going through exactly the same thing. Let me reassure you once again that you are not alone.

Maybe you are lonely, sad, in debt, depressed or almost depressed. This is not the time to give up now. You must not give up. If you've ever thought of committing suicide, please don't do it! Please, I beg of you, that is not the way out. It will only cause more pain to your family, friends, child/children. I want you to look around you, what can you see? Do you have a roof over your head? Somebody somewhere has none. Have you had a meal today? Somebody somewhere is still praying to get food from someone somehow. Are you clothed? Somebody somewhere is looking for an item of clothing to wear. Are you warm and cosy? Somebody out there is going to sleep in a cardboard box, homeless with nowhere to lay their head today, with no food and no shelter. Life is not easy. Nobody promised anyone a bed of roses. None of us had the opportunity to chose where we were born or in which family we would be born into. Neither you nor I had a choice.

My word of encouragement to you today is please dont give up, look around you and see what you can be thankful for. Remember that some of what you have as your few or prized possessions somebody else might not have and is still looking for it. You have to try and face your situation (face your goliath) and see what you can do about it. Help is at hand if only we look hard enough and not give up. Giving up is not the answer. The answer is in your perception of life. If you give up on life, life will give up on you. You must accept first of all that you are in a battle and you can never fight any battle alone. You must seek help now.

Nobody said life would be fair. The problem is that we are always expecting to live a perfect lifestyle but in order to do that we must be perfect ourselves. Tell me, who is perfect? No one, not you, not me either. Have you been looking, searching, thinking, worrying, anxious. Are you on the bottle trying to drown your sorrows? Nothing else can help you. You are searching and questioning but you cannot find any answer to all of your questions. Have you been treated unfairly by a loved one or by friends, family, acquaitances or colleagues at work? I tell you again, life is not fair and I don't expect it to. It is your attitude towards life that matters.

As I write this blog, my life is not perfect but I thank God for every new day, for the little that I have to feed me today, for the fact that I have a roof over my head. I try and look around me to see what I can be grateful for. Are all my debts paid? No! Am I living an ideal lifestyle? No! but I still have life. Whilst there is life, there is hope. If you give up on life, then all your hope is gone. Your life is much more important than money and all the material goods that we are tempted with daily. We are lured into debt everyday and like a trap set for a mouse, we all fall into it.

My final word to you today is that no matter how dark your situation is right now, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Dont give up but look up, one day your trial will come to an end. I know a story of someone who was declared bankrupt recently and he called me out of despair not knowing what to do. His wife would call me all the time crying on the phone but I encouraged them to hold on and stick in there and not give up. We cried out to God for help and He heard us and answered us. Though the pain was much whilst going through but the light came at the end. The good news is that his bankruptcy declaration was overturned and he has now been given the all clear. You must have hope against hope. Dont worry, the end will come. A new dawn will soon break for you. Always remember, you are not alone. All of us are going through one pain or the other, one trial or the other. Of course when you are going through it all it always seems like there is no way out, like you are hemmed in and locked up in the darkness of your pain and sorrow but let me reassure you once again, there is a light at the end of every tunnel. Keep reassuring yourself until you come to believe that your trial, tribulation, pain, sorrow or whatever you might be going through right now, shall also pass. Let your daily confession be "this one too shall pass". Take one day at a time and deal with each day as it comes. Have hope for tomorrow. May you find help in your time of need.

Take a few steps today and see what you can do about the situation you find yourself in.