To Those Who Stand in the Gap

I wish you knew. 

I wish you really knew just how much you mean to us, those of you who stand in the gap when our worlds fall apart. I wish you knew how we, the ones with broken hearts and shattered dreams, those of us who feel like we’re losing ground with each breath, forgotten and lost, I wish you knew how we really feel about you.

I wish you knew the comfort you offer through a hug, a smile, a tender word of encouragement. You may not feel like those things are much but to us, you change our world. You remind us that we’re not alone, that we’re not forgotten, that we still have value even as our lives crumble about us.

I wish you knew the strength you impart as you sit in our sorrow and pain as you hold our hands. Your presence is a treasured gift. No, you don’t take the pain away, but you help make it bearable, endurable, even if for that moment. And truthfully? Our brains only work in moments right now. We struggle to see beyond this second; peering into tomorrow overwhelms our soul, but when you sit and cry with us, you bring healing and hope. You show us that our tears are valid and our sorrow is real. When our world has been turned upside, we need help remembering what is right-side up. Your presence grounds us and restores dignity, especially as you weep with us.

When you pray

I wish you knew how much it means when you pray. When you do that, something deep inside in that place even we can’t see and are often afraid to look. At times it may appear our emotions say otherwise. We cry more. We even shut down or get angry at you. But as you intercede, the loving presence of the Holy Spirit ministers to those deepest, darkest places, and we often don’t know how to respond to what we feel. But please don’t stop praying.

Praying for us may not feel like enough, but we know as you pray you lift our trials and struggles before the One who changes everything helping change us. You impact our circumstances in ways we’ll never understand this side of heaven. No, it may not feel like much, but praying is precisely what we need you to do. It’s possible, for a time, that we lose our words. Perhaps even our faith. But you pray, we borrow your words and your faith for just a little while, just until we can stand on our own once more.

Walking together isn’t easy

We know walking this journey with us isn’t easy. It’s tiring, even downright exhausting. Our lives are messy, and that mess often clings to you. There are days you want to give up on us, even on the entire situation, days when you need a break from the heaviness. We know that. We know that because there are days when we want the exact.same.thing. –a moment to breathe with the fullness of our lungs, without the weight of sorrow pressing us down.

There are days, too, where we wish our weariness would end, so you don’t have to experience it with us. When we could pretend that life is okay and laugh away the minutes, all to give you a reprieve, to lighten your load.

We know, too, that there are even more days when the temptation to walk away weighs heavy on your heart. When the toll of our sorrow feels too much to bear. When the tears you shed, those tears we don’t see, are laced with frustration and grief, and you wrestle with giving up.

We know, and we’re sorry

We’re so very sorry you’re tasting the bitterness of our life right now, the morsel of pain we experience. We’re so very sorry to be that friend, the one with the struggles, the loss, the addictions.

But please don’t give up on us. Please be patient. We’re trying, even if you don’t fully see it. Sometimes trying looks like all we’ve done is simply get up and get dressed. It may not look like much, but to us, it’s a significant accomplishment. Celebrate with us. Encourage us. And please . . . keep praying.

I wish you knew just how much you mean to us, those of you who stand in the gap. We see you. We’re grateful for you. And no, we could not survive this without you.