God in Times of Sorrow

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. ~ Isaiah 43:1
To know yourself as the Being underneath the thinker, the stillness underneath the mental noise, the love and joy underneath the pain, is freedom, salvation, enlightenment. ~ Eckhart Tolle

When you are worried, hurting, suffering, or grieving, do you sometimes forget who you are?

 I don't mean in a literal sense, as if you have forgotten your name.

 I mean in a deeper spiritual sense. As if who you are doesn't feel like it has meaning. As if you are a cog in a wheel and all that you know about is pain?

 The Israelites often had an identity problem. They forget who they were. They forgot whose they were. And that forgetting led to a multitude of suffering.

 But through it all, God still claimed them. Still called them God's own people.

 Knowing who you are - knowing your worth - can be a first step into climbing out of a hole of suffering. Or maybe, using Eckhart Tolle's metaphor, digging in deeply during pain can lead you to remember who you are.

 When we are at our lowest, we still are valued by God. 

 We aren't our pain. We aren't our suffering. We aren't our grief.

 We are still whole. Still God's beloved.
Prayer: I am yours, O God! Remind me today and always. Amen



This is to go ....

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