“Not Alone” – by the band RED

The towering wave crashes over me and I go under. Struggling to the surface I gasp for air; It’s a momentary reprieve before another comes. Wave after wave crashes over me with out ceasing, and no matter what I do I can’t catch my breath. The sea pitches me back and forth like a rag doll. My nose and lungs burn as they fill with salt water, but still I fight because I can’t not fight. I know what giving up will mean and I WILL NOT give in.  But I also know that without help soon I won’t have a choice, the waves will consume me without mercy… I just need help.

When I started writing this post it was a way to purge the emotions I’d been feeling recently. This past week was truly terrible, a constant barrage of fear, doubt, and worry, with a few nightmares thrown in and no way to talk to the person I really wanted to confide in. (One of the many struggles of long distance relationships) It was just the worst feeling ever, never letting up and I was doing all I could to rid myself of the gnawing fear and find a happy place.

But then as the metaphor formed in my mind I realized how much broader a subject this was than my own week. So many people out there are struggling with the same things and many have it so much worse than I do. Fear, sadness, depression. So many awful emotions that make us feel alone in this world. That try to control us and whisper lies about how we are not good enough, not smart enough, not wanted. They tell us that the future is a terrifying place we can’t handle, or that we will never be able to leave the past behind us. These emotions steal our confidence and strangle the life right out of us. How can you escape something that you can’t even run away from? It’s inside you, haunting you wherever you go.

I just want to say no. No More. I will not be a slave to my emotions! I know it may sound weak for me to say it on my own, and it is. As sad as it is, alone I can’t fight it, but I am not alone. I have help. True, I do have a loving family and a wonderful boyfriend who I can count on to be understanding and supportive, but I know not everyone has people they can count on. No, I have even greater help that is available to anyone in the world. The best most amazing counselor and friend that comes through when everyone else fails. Jesus Christ.

Yes, some may laugh or scorn, but I can only say that he has done more for me than anyone else in the world, and frankly I might not be here today if he hadn’t been there to pull me out of the darkness. So whatever your mindset about God, try remembering that saying “don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.” I know it’s a struggle to not let the emotions bring us down, for some it it’s much, much worse than others. The point is we all walk through times times of fear and sadness and pain, but even when you do, you don’t have to be alone.

>find out what I’m talking about, a real relationship with God.