Dear Daughter

To My Dearest Child...

I know you are hurting right now.  And I know it doesn't seem fair.
And here's what I know... Life is hard.  Life. Is. Not. Fair.

Looking back I know... I went through the very same things you are going through now.
I was hurt by friends.
I was betrayed.
I was stepped over.
I was ridiculed.
I was left alone.

And it hurt.

And if I'm being honest... It still hurts.

And here's what else I know.
This world is cruel.
And the people that reside in it... they can be cruel too.

And days can be hard.
And they can be long.
And they can be tiring.

Moments can sting.
Memories can last.
The toughest ones... can last longer.

People will forget.
People... the best intended ones... can forget, and leave you behind.
What mattered yesterday... may not matter today.
And what was important last week... this week lies broken on the floor.
Fragmented pieces of broken glass.
Shattered.
My heart.
Your heart.

And it aches.
And I ache for real, authentic, deep, meaningful relationships.
I ache for them.
I ache for the days of running and laughing and playing and enjoying.
Each moment - it's a gift.
And I, too, can forget.

I wish I could tell you it gets better.

I wish I could tell you that the pain... it all goes away.

I wish I could tell you that the broken hearts... they mend.  And they heal.  And they gradually repair.
But maybe they don't.

And maybe it's because our ache... our desire... our deep longing... is not for what the world has to offer.
Maybe what we ache for... what we desire for... WHO we desire... is Him.

Jesus.

And In Him I find value.
In Him I find self-worth and acceptance.
In Him I find friendship and refuge and strength.

Strength... OH how I long for strength.

And He offers that!
Because He loves us so much!
He loves YOU so much!

And so I'm a mama who sits and prays.
Knees bended... always bended.
Because HE is found low...

Psalm 114:6... "He stoops down on heaven and on earth."

He cares.
He listens.
He stoops down low to hear us when we cry.

And He collects our tears...

Psalm 56:8... "You keep track of my sorrows.  You have collected all my tears in your bottle.  You have recorded each one in your book."

And so maybe... just maybe... my JOY and my STRENGTH are found when I pour my heart out to the One who hears.  The One who listens.  The One who knows.  The One who collects my sorrows, because I am His and He is mine.

And what you're going through now... it will get better.
Sunshine always follows the hardest of rainstorms.
And the rainbow... it cannot reveal itself unless there is rain.

These hurts and this pain... I know it.  I remember it.  All too well I remember it.
And although it breaks my heart when you're hurting, I know this...

God is good.  All the time... God is good.
And He doesn't leave.  He's never left.
And He is there and He is yours and In Him you never have to surrender to defeat.

You are more than a conqueror in Him.
In Him
With Him.

Stay near to Him sweet girl.
And keep loving Him.
Until His Son... Jesus... that Son I've taught you about...
begins to rub off on you.

Don't. Give. Up.

Heaven is the prize for those who call Him Savior.

Run the race with confidence that He is going to be SO worth it.

I love you more than I can ever say... but Jesus... Jesus loves you even more!

Your Mama