“I’ve been walking this path alone all of my life. It is just me and God wrestling this one out. I’m just tired. Defeated. Losing hope.” Those were her words, and I took them to heart.

Scared and Alone

September 17, 20**

9/17, 7:05am
Me:
GM my friend, Were you able to sleep better? I hope so. Still praying that God will uphold you. Blessings …

9/17, 7:06am
Emily:
It was alright
Thx…feel like I’m fighting this battle alone and I’m not doing it very well at all.

9/17, 7:33am
Emily:
Basically I’m a hot mess over here

9/17, 7:35am
Me:
Even if you are alone w/o friend support, you are not alone. It may be that it’s one of those things you have to face on your own. That means you need to get off by yourself, if you can, and give it all to God. Gotta take my daughter to sch. Be back soon.

9/17, 7:42am
Emily:
I’ve been walking this path alone all of my life. It is just me and God wrestling this one out. I’m just tired. Defeated. Losing hope.

9/17, 8:14am
Me:
I have an assignment for you. (!) Ask God to give you a verse or a song that will help you today. He knows your heart and He will give you something you can anchor yourself with today. When life is too much and I’m in the middle of something and don’t know what to do, I will send up a prayer like this. He usually will give me a thought later in the day. Then I meditate on it all day, or many days, dissecting each word and what it means.

I feel bad that you don’t have support.  My friend, God is enough even when the world crashes in around you. He will get you through this, someway somehow. I will pray hope for you today. When hope is dim, life becomes hard. I’ve experienced loss of hope and its painful reality. Please know, this sister cares and will follow through in praying strength and endurance for you. Joy comes in the morning. You and God. Maybe this is a healing time. Hold onto Him for dear life. Nothing wrong in that.

May God bless you and keep you. May His face shine upon you. Norma

9/17, 10:02pm
Me:
Let me know what else I can pray for you, if there’s anything different. God’s best, Norma

JUST PLAIN SCARED

Her struggle was one that many of us feel on our bad days or during the difficult times. People don’t always understand us. But they try. So much I wanted to help her, but I felt inadequate to the task. To be silent would have been the wrong move. I did what anyone would do, I shared out of what I know and have experienced. Then I trusted God for the rest.

This was delicate, though. I’d learned to be careful, to not preach or overstep, but this time there was uncertainty. One never knows how the other person will receive what we have to say or if they are ready for frank truth-talk.

Online communications are tricky. They make it much harder to perceive the other person’s intent than in live communications. The words can be misread and misunderstood. I knew she needed a life-line and some action steps. I was careful, very careful.

The conversation continues.

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>next post:  An unlikely friendship:  Conversations with Emily (3)

<previous post:  A Woman at Risk:  Conversations with Emily (1)

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