Dear Friend, 

First, let me say, I feel your pain. I understand why you want curl up in a fetal position and cry. I understand why you feel you’ve lost your purpose. I understand being scared, having anxiety and panic attacks. I understand what it feels like to suffer from depression. Not just “the blues,” if which I’ve earned the write to sing, but depression that lasts for months, even years. In fact, since I’ve suffered through multiple devastating illnesses, injuries and traumas, I absolutely understand why someone would want to run away, end their life, or lash out at others. We’re all just imperfect humans after all. But I’m telling you this…

Don’t do it. I’m not saying it in a judgement all way. This is not about terminally ill people who are on hospice. That’s a discussion for another day. This about when your life takes a sudden nose dive or being worn down after years or decades of suffering. 

Don’t give up. Don’t sell yourself short. Don’t give in to the power of negative thinking and emotions. It’s all just temporary. Temporary maybe longer for some than for others, but, it really is temporary. At this time, the human life is actually very short. You have a beautiful opportunity to spend that life doing something that is available to you free of charge, 24-7 without restrictions or terms of acceptance. There’s no forms to fill out. It’s open to everyone on the planet and what’s more, you can do it whenever you want, wherever you want, and no one can stop you and no really ever has to know. 

It’s so wonderful and powerful that it can actually change your chemistry, bring peace to your soul, calm your nerves and give you hope. It can bring an answer instantly or something else can happen in time that you’ll know that because you consistently did this one thing, you were able see your answer come into full bloom. But, more than anything else, it’s a gift and a privilege that is just what you need it to be whenever you’re in that place that we are talking about today. 

What is it? What is this fabulous gift? Well, I’ll tell you. It’s the communication of the purest form of love that any human can ever receive from the One who created all Life. That’s right, I’m taking about…

Prayer.

Prayer from a scientific point of view has been studied in depth for manys years. Science has confirmed what those who practice praying have always known. Prayer is an effective way to heal. 

Speaking from personal experience I can say that prayer, along with a life long practical study of The Holy Scriptures, has enabled me to continue enduring through trials that I’ve seen other people give in to. Prayer pulls me out the deepest of despair and enables me to communicate my deepest and most important feelings to the only One who really do anything about it. Prayer gives me strength, wisdom, clarity and patience to keep getting up and going through the difficult and sometimes impossible situations of my existence. 

Now, there are many different religions and ways that people pray. I’m not talking about ritualistic and repetitive prayers said by rote. I’m talking about a truthful conversation about what’s really bothering you. A conversation with your Heavenly Father. He knows what you need. He has the answer to your problems and everyone else’s problems and He knows how to best make that happen. He only wants two things from you; 

That you love Him with you whole heart, mind, soul and strength and that you live your neighbor as yourself. How do I know this? Because that was the answer that His Son, Christ Jesus gave when he was asked what was the greatest command? 

I read it at Matthew 22:36-40. It reads; 

 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 He said to him: “‘You must love Jehovah* your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul* and with your whole mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 The second, like it, is this: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments the whole Law hangs, and the Prophets.”

You could spend your whole life just following these two commands. And really, when you study them in depth, meditate in them and try to live by them, you spare yourself a lot or unnecessary stress and heartbreak. Imagine now, if everyone was following these two commands. Now imagine what problems would go away if everyone was following these two commands. Think deeply about it. Write down on paper how many of your own personal problems wouldn’t exist. How many news stories would be gone? How many organizations, lawsuits, wars or just suffering in general would be eliminated?

God has promised that this is the way to a happy life not just now in the temporary world at we live in, but for all eternity under His Kingdom Rule. 

All we have to do is these two things. Simple? No. Attainable? Yes. 

You know, I’ve struggled a long time. I’ve made mistakes. Since my brain injury, I’ve made a lot more than I care to count. In fact, since my brain injury is something that I live with daily, I make daily mistakes that cause me to forgot sometimes about these two commands. But at the end of the day, when I say my final prayer at night, I ask God to help me make less mistakes and to remember these to commands more. 

Today, I had a trailsome day that could have easily ended up in me making some hasty and permanent bad choices. Not suicide or anything like that, but, just some knee jerk decisions based upon heartbreak and physical pain. But instead, I went into prayer. I stayed in prayer until I felt stronger and realizing zed that I was stronger than my difficulties because God was with me.

I want you to feel that too. That’s why I wrote this. Also, because I read a story today about a beautiful singer who just wrote her memoir in which she talks about her battle with depression. Money, fame and worldly success didn’t help her to find true happiness. So don’t go off in that direction thinking that it will. Just follow these two commands. Will it solve your problems and miraculously heal your health? I don’t know. I just know that prayer helps me deal with mine. 

That’s what’s I wanted to share. I hope it helps you. 

Love, 

Janice Tindle