Letter From a Brother

So, hey there! How’s it going? Feeling anxious? I totally get it; I’ve been there, too. Probably you’re going through some sleepless nights, huh? Been there. Probably you are wondering if the Father can even hear you when you try to talk to him. Done that. I mean, I get it. Times are hard right now, and it can be difficult to see into tomorrow, to see things getting better. I’ve experienced the same set of emotions, so I know the agony of angst.

Has this quarantine got you feeling isolated? Missing your family and friends? Trust me, I know that feeling, too. I remember once when I couldn’t seem to get my own father’s attention, how frightening it was. How alone I felt. I couldn’t even lean on my friends; they were all busy with their own needs. It seemed like it was just me. By myself. Now and forever. Is that how it is for you, sometimes?

Maybe it’s the uncertainty that’s the worst part for you. I know it was for me. I’d built my life around knowing exactly what was going to happen—and when. I’d learned to trust God to lead me and put me where he needed me to be. I’d relied on him to direct my paths so I would be doing what he wanted me to do and not doing my own thing. But then suddenly it seemed like he just went silent. It was as if a giant shroud had been pulled over my life, and the future had just become super uncertain. There was a gaping hole where my Father had once been. Certainly that’s how it seemed. So if that’s anything like what you are experiencing right now, just know I know.

During my darkest period, I even told God I didn’t want to do what he wanted me to do. I didn’t want to go through the darkness ahead because I couldn’t see any light on the other side. You aren’t the only only one who’s been afraid of the unknown. Nor are you the only one who’s talked back to God. I’m pretty sure the Father understands what’s happening to and with you. You aren’t catching him by surprise. He isn’t disappointed in you, any more than you are disappointed when your young children do “young children” things. He gets it. Trust me, he gets it.

So do I. I get it, too. And you know what? I’ve got you. I know exactly how you’re feeling because, in one way or another, I’ve had those same feelings, those same thoughts and fears and uncertainties. I know what it means to be alone, feeling the weight of the world and press of life push in on you. I know how feels to be unable to see a path forward, or to see a path strewn with dangers and obstacles and pitfalls so that you don’t want to go forward. I know what it means to pour your broken, fearful, anxious, heart into a prayer . . . and then feel that prayer crash uselessly against the ceiling and fall in broken pieces around you.

But I also know this: I came through my darkness. I survived my own personal hell. I discovered the God I thought had forsaken me had been right there the whole time. I learned the future that seemed so murky and uncertain had always been a known thing to my Father. And now it’s a known thing for me. I’ve been to, I live in, the future. And you know what? It’s a glorious place. You’re going to love it when you get here, and I can’t wait. You are why I went through all the struggles and suffered all the darkness. And I’ve got you. Even though you can’t feel it right now, I’ve got you. Be of good cheer, there’s a better road ahead. Don’t despair. Just trust. Your feelings are just your feelings, but the truth is everything, and here is the truth that supersedes and overrules all of this that you are going through now: I’ve been where you are so you can be where I am. I love you!

Your brother,

Jesus