Not Alone

By Kristi Bothur © 2011

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16

Have you noticed that every month there is something to be “aware” of? Take October. One website lists over 60 different ways to be “aware” in October ranging from “Cut Out Dissection Month” to “Squirrel Awareness Month” to “Spinach Lovers Month.” On a more serious note, the national focuses for October also include Breast Cancer Awareness, Depression Education and Awareness, Domestic Violence Awareness, and Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness.

All joking aside, what attraction does an Awareness Month hold for us? What about it inspires passion and involvement? I think there are several things. An awareness month for an issue that we have had personal involvement with validates our experience and our emotions. It elevates a personal hardship to national importance, at least for a short time. And most of all, it serves to remind us that we are not alone. Whether we join in a walk for breast cancer survivors, or participate in a fundraiser for domestic violence awareness, or wear a pin to remember a baby lost in a miscarriage, we are confessing our membership in a community larger than ourselves. We are declaring solidarity with others who have walked the same path we have, and we are seeking to both receive strength from, and give it to, others.

People desperately want to know that in life’s deepest and darkest moments, they are not alone.

Don’t we all want that? I know I do. I want to know that others have gone through the same things I have and have come out whole on the other side. I want to know that I’m not the only one to struggle with illness, or with losing a baby, or with controlling my tongue. I want to know I’m not the only one struggling with life. And so I reach out to others – in friendships, in support groups, in Bible study groups, even through books and blogs. In all of these, we can build connections with others and know we’re not alone as we struggle with life together.

But there’s another, even deeper, connection we can build with someone who has experienced every struggle of life – and that is Jesus. God was not content to give us orders from on high. He came to earth Himself, walked around with us, got dirty, experienced the same things we do. The apostle John says that Jesus “tabernacled among us” (John 1:14) – in modern language, he pitched his tent in the midst of our own. And just as different awareness months can help us know that there are others like us who have shared in the same difficulties and struggles, we can take comfort in knowing that Jesus shared fully in our humanity. He was “fully human in every way” (Hebrews 2:17). He knew loss, and betrayal, and abuse, and grief, and abandonment. He is not “a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

Jesus was indeed Immanuel, “God with us” – and we can know that the God who was with us then is still with us now, giving us the power to rise above the struggle in victory as we “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

If you know Jesus as your Savior, don’t hesitate to reach out to Him in your time of need. And if you are wondering how to do that, feel free to contact me or anyone else at Glory and Strength to learn how to begin this eternal relationship.

Jesus, sometimes I feel alone in my life struggles. I know there are others who I can turn to, but help me to especially turn to you, knowing that you understand every hurt, and can give me mercy and grace in my time of need. Amen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kristi Bothur is a pastor's wife, teacher, and mother of four—one on earth and three in heaven.  She has a heart for other women who have experienced the loss of children during pregnancy or shortly after birth, and she has a passion for sharing the truths of God's word in a way that makes sense in everyday life.  She and her husband are beginning a ministry called "Naomi's Circle" for parents of babies in heaven, and she blogs regularly at www.naomiscircle.blogspot.com.  You are welcome to contact her at naomiscircle@gmail.com.  Kristi lives in Columbia, South Carolina, with her husband and daughter.