The Struggle

I am blown away with just how simple and uncomplicated my life is. I mean, yeah, I can't make bread, or sometimes work is frustrating, but in the big scheme of life I got it good -- exceptionally good. I don't have any guilty regrets hanging in my closet, a troubled childhood, or any deep, negative life-changing events. I don't feel the need to drink, do drugs, get high, or be in an menacing relationship to compensate or feel "cool." I can handle my emotions in a healthy way. I'm not trying to fill an empty void; I'm happy, whole, and normal. I know who I am, and who God is. But, now that I'm in the big "grown up" world my eyes have been opened to just how much darkness there is.

So many people are left bitterly in a hopeless black pit, without a light to see. Instead, they blindly reach for anything that meets them in the dark, desperately following without question.

I see people reaching, being deceived, and believing in things that don't matter; trying to fill the emptiness with something materially or emotionally tangible, even if it's a lie. People no longer understand what it means to be a good, responsible, and a real person -- nor do they want to be. Most are only concerned with themselves and what they can get out of it. Maybe I was naive in thinking that honesty, respect, and simple goodness was a natural quality that every person had. News flash Meredith, it's not true. Truthfully, it breaks my heart that they don't know Who to look for, or what to fill their emptiness with. I'm so blessed beyond words to have this simple truth and to feel fulfilled.

You never know what another person is going through, or has gone through, so choose your words meticulously. You don't know their struggle. I'm not saying to go through life tip-toeing around people. I'm saying to show them love. Show them compassion and mercy, without judging them. This world is so judgmental. Be the arm that is reaching out in the dark. The arm that will hold-on tight throughout rough waters, and be there for them no matter how many times they mess up. "People need loving the most when they deserve it the least" - John Harrigan. We hate admitting that we make mistakes and mess up. We like to think no matter what we've done, we rationalize why it's not that bad. The truth is: we're all meager humans deserving of nothing. Show them love.

"Everyone must carry two pieces of paper with him and look at them every day. On one it is written: 'You are dust and ashes.' And on the other: 'For you the universe was created."