They attacked me
at a moment
when I was weakest,
but the Lord upheld me.
Psalm 18:18
HALT!
It’s the acronym – and reminder – to avoid the "moment[s] when [we are] weakest" by not allowing ourselves to get too (H)ungry, too (A)ngry, too (L)onely, or too (T)ired.
Today, we focus on …
L
Belonging is one of our greatest human needs. We need love. We crave community -- even if its just a few treasured friends.
Think about so many of the problems that teens face -- not fitting into peer groups, gossip which isolates them, bullying which denigrates them, parents that are too busy, abandonment caused by divorce. Our kids are a microcosm of loneliness, and everything from joining the wrong peer group, to self-medicating with drugs and alcohol, to suicide are dangerous coping mechanisms.
Adults may mask the hurts of loneliness better; nevertheless, the sting of loneliness is no less real for grown-ups.
And it’s cyclical. When we feel alone, we retreat even further from life.
So what’s the antidote? Faith! It’s the first, best antidote. It’s the first line of defense.
Faith gives us several great blessings.
· First, faith is the conviction that God is on our side. Literally, on our side. He is beside us. With us. And when we have faith, we are never fully alone. (Now, this doesn’t fully eclipse the human longing for human relationships; nevertheless, it’s a powerful help!)
· Second, the blessing of faith should also connect us to God’s community – called the Church. Though cliques and judgment and drama can enter a church -- just as surely as it can enter a high school (we're annoyingly human after all) -- church should be a place for grace ... and welcome ... and acceptance … and community … and handshakes … and hugs.
In Christ's Love,
the guys
(I guess I’m plural
… since God is always
with me)
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