THIS BLOG IS FOR YOU

This blogsite was created to help encourage you through the tough times. We all go through difficulties and we all experience times of pain and hurting. It is important to know that we are not going through the rough times alone. We can reach out to one another, share our needs, and encourage each other. This site was designed to help lift people up, and help them see our loving God more clearly. It was also developed to provide a way for people to share their needs and encouragement with each other through the comment section on each blog.

There have been times in my life when I experienced deep emotional pain, depression and anxiety. There were times when I felt I could not go on another minute, let alone get through another day. Having experienced years of child abuse, it was difficult to see my Heavenly Father as loving and kind. I grew up with a great deal of shame, believing that the abuse was my fault, and that I caused it. I held onto the belief that I was “bad,” dirty, and unworthy. I went into a difficult marriage with this deep inner shame, and blamed myself for the problems, mistreatment, and oppression that occurred. Domestic violence only reinforced these destructive beliefs.

A huge part of my own healing involved seeing the Lord as he is; and not as the mean terrible being that I imagined him to be. David prayed in Psalm 27:8 – 10, “My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face, Lord, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.” My own challenge was to find out who God really was, and then hold on to the reality of his love.

I came to realize that during those darkest moments, the Lord was right there feeling my pain, crying with me, yet smiling in love towards me. The Lord thinks more beautiful thoughts about us than all the granules of sand on the earth. “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you” (Psalm 139:17-18).

Psalm 9:9 tells us that the Lord is a refuge to the oppressed. Isaiah 53 tells us that Jesus was oppressed and afflicted for us (Is. 53:7). “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows…he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5). Jesus took all of our sin and our pain on himself when he was on the cross. He became our sin, so we could be made clean and whole; and most importantly, so we could be close to him. Jesus gave his life so we could have an intimate relationship with our loving God.
You may be experiencing emotional or physical pain right now; or you may have a friend or loved one going through unbearable trials. This blogsite was especially made to meet you right where you are with acceptance, love and hope. I encourage you to take heart and know that things will get better. Believe that you will “see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13). For he will be right there with you in your greatest time of need.

I need your help so I can better serve you. First, I need you to share your feedback on how this site is helping, or how it can better help you. Are there any areas you need addressed? Questions you may have about a post? Suggestions that could make the blogsite better?
Also, I would love to hear from you. You can share your comments or Prayer Requests right here on the blogsite where others can also read, by clicking on Comments at the bottom of each post. You can also email me at sandygroom@gmail.com. I will keep your emails confidential, and I will pray for each request.

Our God is so good. He turns the darkest moments into something beautiful in our lives. He turns bad into something good within us. If it were not for those extremely difficult times in my life, I would not have empathy and compassion for hurting people. My own painful experiences have given me greater understanding, and an inner depth I could not get any other way. Healing is a process, and sometimes we have to go through the pain to get to health and wholeness. But the Lord walks with us, each step of the way. He will never leave us or forsake us. He will not turn his back on us. Instead, he will keep holding us, crying with us, and keep thinking the most beautiful thoughts about us, all the way.