“I
have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, ‘You are my servant.’ For
I have chosen you and will not throw you away. Don’t be afraid, for I am with
you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help
you. I will hold you up with my
victorious right hand” (Isaiah 41:9-10, NLT).
It
is excruciating lonely and achingly sad set of sensations, when we find
ourselves in a place of feeling forgotten and cast aside. If we are completely honest, there may be
times in our lives when we end up feeling rejected because of our own poor
choices, failures, sin and selfishness. On
occasions, circumstances and life or health changes merely come against us, shoving
us into the ditch of loneliness and sadness. Other times, we don’t why we feel
useless as we are locked into our hopelessness by a mixture of our unique body
chemistry and the mystery of why things happen to each of us in different ways. The ditch is slick, slippery and sticky and
it is hard to climb back up out of it and unto the pathway of being needed and
wanted. In our own mind we are buffeted by the projections from others and our
own harsh self-evaluations from the deep part of us as to our usefulness and the sense
of being wanted and loved. Many times, it seems like there is a bully standing
at the edge of the road pushing us back in the ditch seemingly to be discarded
with the other unwanted items littering this roadside. Sometimes even the ones that pass by including the road
workers, travelers, police officers, ministers, Good Samaritans and even the justice system can become the bullies dressed like helpers but
because of greed or corruption, they will not be of much help to you. Other times there are those that truly care but the extent of the caring hands is just out of our reach.
Good
people can find themselves in this ditch where they feel that they are unloved,
unwanted and forgotten. Bad people can
find themselves in this ditch. Prodigals can find themselves in this ditch. Victims can find themselves tossed violently
into this ditch. Abused and neglected persons can find themselves confused and
wandering alongside the road to health in this ditch. Terminated people can find
themselves in this ditch. Sick people and well people can find themselves in this ditch. Mean and vengeful people can find themselves in this
ditch. King and considerate people can find themselves in this ditch. Depressed people can find themselves in this ditch and even happy people can wear a mask as they slog through this ditch. The list of people that
can possibly find themselves in this ditch is endless.
Eventually
we struggle so long from the muck and mire in the ditch and we are badgered and beaten up by
the bullies real or imagined who torment us from alongside the road that we just fall down and weep. At this
point, we may even feel so lonely and forgotten that is seems like our God has forgotten us. This is not true, no matter what it feels
like to us. He knows everything about our
desperation, sadness and loneliness. In
fact, that is why He sends His Son our Savior, to help us. Our Savior knows every sensation and nuance in what we are
feeling. It is our Savior who felt every thing we feel and knows every place of sadness we find ourselves traveling through. He knows these places because He has journeyed through every one of these same places as He lived out His life on this same earth. This is the Savior who comes to walk beside us and help us in our need and desperation. No matter how we end up in the ditch of being
seemingly unloved, unwanted, unneeded and forgotten; God has not forgotten us nor
has He ever cast us aside. God comes for
us, He loves us and He can lift us out of the ditch of despair by His
victorious right hand. He does this through His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Suggested
Reading … Isaiah 41
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