Encouraging Words for the Lonely
Hello friends,
Sometimes it feels like the darkness is closing in. I know, I've been there. Alone and friendless. I've been there, too. But the darkness can be beautiful, too, much as the picture above, where the bare loveliness of the tree branch breaks up the darkness with hope.
In the darkness of loneliness, I learned that God was very near. I could reach out with my heart and know Him better, not in some superficial way, but in intimate fellowship, where warmth and hope abide.
Sometimes when depression weighs upon me, I often cry out."When? When, oh Lord, will it end? How long will I be kept in the dark?"
Eventually, even for the very depressed or the very lonely, without warning, the mist of the dawn will break into the darkest night, and rosy sunshine will begin to burst upon the heart. Wait for it and do something, read, sew, pray, and believe. The dawn will break and the sky will once more be blue again.
Journey to Healing by Jaye Lewis
Each night, I'd lay upon my bed...
The pillow cradling my head...
Then, wearily, I'd 'play my mind'
With all regrets, I'd left behind.
The day before, had left me pale...
The future, where I'd, surely, fail...
The times I could have done so much...
To reach a heart, with just a touch.
I saw each one, the great and small...
The loved ones I'd not loved at all...
The hopes and dreams of all the years...
I'd concentrate upon my fears...
I'd missed each moment that I could
Begin again, and done much good.
I'd see, each picture of my grief,
And 'time' would 'steal me' like a thief.
All the joy, within my soul...
The worship that could make me whole...
And, yet, a 'voice', so deep within...
The Light that shines, to heal my sin...
Calls me forward from the dark...
A small caress...a chance remark...
Remembered kindness from a friend...
Belief that this is not the end...
All, come at once, and I can feel,
That, surely, I've begun to heal!
I find a strength, I've never known,
Beyond myself, like 'coming home.'
I looked into my loved ones' eyes,
And I began to realize...
That through the dark and tortured climb,
God had been there, all the time!
© Jaye Lewis, 2003
The journey into depression is a dark and lonely place. Devoid of feeling, even those of deep faith have felt hopeless, far from family and friends, and isolated from God. The journey into healing is one that requires of family and friends, compassion, patience, and unconditional love. I was one who had all the blessings. To those who have not, I promise you that, even so, you are not alone!
With love,
Jaye Lewis
