Are We Aware?

Had a pretty interesting conversation yesterday via facebook.  This person is a trusted friend who will slap me around if I need it, let me cry if I need it and is just a REALLY ROCKING AWESOME FRIEND!!  She doesn't let me wallow is self pity.  

I was unburdening my heart of my struggles as of late with loneliness and depression.  She told me that there are many at home struggling badly with that.  She told me that it seems that when she is at church she gets the sense that there are those who have smiles on their faces yet are hiding deep and serious pain.  

Why do we hold it in?  We don’t want to be whiners. We don’t want to walk in self pity. And we don’t want to burden those who may be having their own difficulties.  Those are good and noble reasons, yet what is the result?  We end up carrying pain that is burdensome and difficult.  We ask ourselves the question "Does anyone notice that I am dying on the vine here?"

I know that so often I get caught up in what I am going through at the moment that I forget there are people, and not just lost dying people with out Christ, who are in pain.  My brothers and my sisters are some pretty wounded people.  

Are we aware?  

I know that we are supposed to bring it all to Jesus and leave it at the foot of the cross.  That I believe with my entire being, because there are times when we rely to heavily on people and not on Jesus.  But at the same time we have been given the body of Christ for a reason!  

I don’t think we should be shouting our issues out to the world, yet I do believe in the beauty of a heart felt, transparent conversation with someone whom I love and I can trust with the deepest issues of my heart.  Someone who can be the hands and feet of Jesus when my burdens are heavy and I simply need a shoulder for a few moments.  

Folks, life is hard sometimes, we aren’t promised a bed of roses and a walk in the sunny park of life everyday.  If you are in need of someone to hold your arms up in the battle, pray and ask God to show you the right person you can talk to.  In addition to that, would you pray and ask God if you are to be that person for someone else?

Are we aware?