To the person who cares for the burdens I share

On what should have been great cause for celebration, I couldn’t believe there was nothing in me. No joy or pain or light. Nothing. No thoughts. Hardly a feeling, which, in itself, stirred a great sense of dissonance with me. How could I possibly feel this way? Shouldn’t I feel excited! No, just tired and overwhelmed.

I called the person who I rely upon. She listened. I wondered why she’d listen so intently for those forty-five minutes, but there she was, during long gaps of silence, waiting on me, on the other end of the phone.

She didn’t say much, but what she said was just what I needed to hear, even if I didn’t know what I needed to hear. She listened and gently encouraged — with a soft, calm voice responding to the timidity in my spirit.

Feeling so weak of mind with such doubt of heart for what I later realised wasn’t logical, I wrestled down the moment, wondering where the logic was, from what was illogical.

And still, she listened. A Godsend. An angel. Someone I could call and simply bear my heart with.

I don’t know if you have someone who cares for you. But if you do, like myself, you feel blessed, don’t you? When we’re beside ourselves with fear or sadness or for simply being overwhelmed, they come to our rescue in simply being Jesus in skin. And though it should be a simple thing to do, caring like Jesus is rare.

That’s Jesus, don’t you know? That person willing to be with us, listening to us, praying with us, providing for our practical and spiritual needs. We all need someone like this sometimes.