How are you, today?

We all struggle with varying things. Some things are outward and physical and tangible, others are inward, emotion based. We all have the casual greetings, and right words. “Hey, how are you today?” Which is usually followed with, “fine,” or “very well,” or occasionally, “not that great.” More often than not, we don’t indulge the person we asked, and we don’t indulge to the person that asked us. Because they don’t care, right? They have their own problems, right? They wouldn’t understand, or they will judge us. For you to open up to someone, you have to feel trust, and genuine care from them. Otherwise, it’s like your own personal dirty little secret, that finds new and different ways to destroy you from the inside out. Satan has many doors in life and some more apparent than others. The door into your mind is directly connected to your heart and is probably one of, if not the most dangerous door for Satan to come through.

Because once he does, only YOU and YOUR walk with God can close that door and pull you through. This is so much easier said than done. You can talk to a million people, cry on shoulders, and open up to anyone; but, if you don’t rely on God and walk with him you’re fighting a losing battle. Because no one is going to understand what you are going through. No one can fix it. Just reading scripture won’t fix it or change it. Praying without an open heart is just you acting like a believer.

Sitting there, being able to cry, yell, be angry to God and opening up through all the bad to get to the good is so much harder. You almost feel wrong saying, “God, I’m mad at you,” “why are you putting me through this?” “Why are you allowing this to happen?” Sounds like something you would be condemned for right? Wrong! That’s intimacy, that’s being vulnerable, that’s being transparent, that’s being completely open. When can God reach you? When you let Him, when you NEED Him, when you desire Him.

“For the Lord hears the needy and does not despise his own people who are prisoners.” – Psalms‬ ‭69:33‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Being involved with like minded followers is also apart of walking with Him. To help hold you accountable with your relationship with God. It’s a lot to open yourself up to trust someone to hold you accountable. You may even pick a few wrong people, but in your time of need, in your darkest hours, if you CALL Him, and tell Him what you need, He will provide it. It may be something small like someone texting you out of the blue. It might be someone pops into your thoughts and you reach out.

“For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” – Romans‬ ‭12:4-5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

So, the next time you say one of the automatic phrases our society has pounded into us; “hey, how are you today?” Stop and look that person in the eye, and if you see it, there, in there eyes; the pain, anguish, battle going on, follow up with, “you don’t have to go into detail if you don’t want to, but I see the battle, and I would love to pray for you/with you, what ever I can do to support you and be by your side.” Try to be intentional in your words & actions, not polite & acting out the right thing.

Stephanie Eskridge

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