please know.

To whom this may concern.

anxietY.

unwOrthy.

hUrt.

sAdness.

angeR.

acnE.

Loneliness.

alOne.

slaVe.

fEarful.

Depressed.

y o u

a r e l o v e d.

Isn't it ironic that the truth is hidden within a bunch of lies the world tells us? It is so easy to look at one word at a time and say, "Lord, why me? why now?" and He says, "My child just wait until you see the bigger picture and what I am creating and trying to say through all these words." To be honest, I always get stuck on the little things and I waste my energy being overwhelmed and anxious because of this HUGE problem in my life. Although each big problem to me, is a small piece of the puzzle in God's eyes.

Have you ever put together a jigsaw puzzle? Most times I get so impatient that all the pieces will not fit together nicely and neatly automatically. I have to keep trying and trying until maybe I find one piece that works. ONE piece! are you kidding me? It gets frustrating. There are steps though that make putting a jigsaw puzzle a little more bearable that I believe can be useful to our lives as well.

1. Find the border of the puzzle.

Any great puzzle that's put together always needs a border or an outline of what to follow. In life it is so similar. We need to first figure out the purpose of our life and what to truly follow. It is hard to connect and truly finish the great race without a purpose. That purpose is clearly defined in Matthew 22:37-39,

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

The outline of our lives should first look like these things, and soon all the rest of the puzzle will build upon these things. Love is the outline of our whole existence.

2. Be joyful even when you can only find one piece.

It is easy to get overwhelmed and frustrated when you can't find all the pieces you need. God says in Romans 12:12 to

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."

When we enter into slow, painful, hard seasons we must stay in tune with what God wants from us. We have to trust that he will bring goodness even from these seasons. He will show us love in all circumstances, but we cannot give up. We have to believe that God knows the bigger picture and will reveal it to us soon.

3. Find the bigger picture.

Remember in times where the devil is feeding you these lies above, find strength in the Lord. Find people to help give you a different perspective. Try not to sit and think of all the things you wish you had, or you wish you looked like, but instead know the bigger picture. What is that you ask?

Please know you are more than these words above. Please know how loved you are. Please know that you are not alone. SO many people today face one or more of these problems or something else, and feel as though they can't escape. We all fall into these. But our God is much greater than all these things. Our God is much greater than the darkness. Than the light the world provides. Than the love we all want to feel. Than the love we are capable of showing. Much greater than the loneliness that the world creates around us all. IF you feel unloved, please know you have a God that is for you. And a God who is greater than all these things. you are a child of God. and you are loved.

-Riley