Life on earth can be very painful. People tell you everything will be okay. What does okay even mean? Will it ever be okay that my child or someone I love is dead? Will it be okay that I have a permanent sickness or disability? Will it be okay that I lost a relationship I once valued?
Reality can be dark, painful, and feel like forever. In that moment of time no end is in sight. One of the most common realities of suicide is that a person believes today is their forever. They see no way out, they see no release from what is truly horrific. Platitudes and prayers feel shallow, and faith looks hopeless, like holding onto a piece of string about to break. But the truth is that today isn’t forever. This life is short. As Kenny Chestney sang, “Don’t blink just like that you’re six years old And you take a nap, And you wake up and you’re twenty-five.” What you experience today is truly temporary, Psalms 39:5 says it this way, “You have made my days a mere handbreadth the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure.”
One person who believed this more than anyone was Job in the Bible. After losing his children, his health, his wealth, and his standing in the community, his response was typical of those who suffer, “O God, remember that my life is but a breath, and I will never again feel happiness.” (NLT) At that moment in time he could not see beyond his today. He believed that today was his forever, only it wasn’t.
I’m not here to tell you that God is going to restore you to full health, give you a new family or a million dollar job. But what I will tell you for certain is that this too shall pass, and if you hold tight to that very small mustard seed of faith in God, there will be blessings you cannot even imagine.
None of us are able to really know what tomorrow offers. You are not God, and predicting the future based upon current circumstances is putting you in a position of power you do not possess, and besides it’s exhausting. Job came to another conclusion during his time of suffering, “I know that you can do all things, no plan of yours can be thwarted.” This means that regardless of what today has brought you, your tomorrow belongs in the hands of a loving God who is in no way hampered by your current situation. The only question is, are you willing to trust Him and wait for the blessing?
PT/LT
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