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Inspirational article from Joanne Lowe

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“Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”

Isaiah 43: 18, 19 King James Version

For over forty years I wandered in the wilderness of crippling depression and suicidal thoughts. There wasn’t a day go by that I didn’t want to kill myself because I thought that I was nothing but garbage and didn’t have a right to live. During all those years of being locked up in mental hospitals and attending countless support groups, I found no peace or relief from my tortured thoughts.

The doctors, nurses, therapists, and counselors all said the same thing “Stop feeling sorry for yourself and thinking negative thoughts. Replace your negative thoughts with positive thoughts”. I tried doing that; I tried replacing my negative thoughts with positive thoughts. However, there was nothing positive that I could find to replace the negative thoughts.

This world offers nothing in the way of lasting happiness, joy and peace. Not one time during all those years of anguish and torment did anybody tell me that Jesus Loves me, nor did they tell me they loved me. The first time someone told me that I was loved was on August 14, 1980, the day I made a heart commitment to Jesus.

He put His loving arms of mercy, kindness, understanding, gentleness, protection, and love around me and drew me close to His Heart. He whispered in a soft voice that penetrated the hidden corners of my heart “I Love you, Joanne. You are precious to Me”. There is nothing as important as extending to people the Love of Jesus. There is an urgency to spread His Love. Even while I am typing this devotional, there are people who are committing suicide or thinking about doing it. In the light of this tragedy, nothing else seems important. We are talking about people who, if they are not saved (have not made a heart commitment to Jesus) are on their way to an Eternity without Jesus.

If I didn’t know without a shadow of doubt that I will see Jesus face to face one glorious day, I would go to bed and never get up again. Without Jesus, nothing makes sense. Only Jesus can give peace, the peace that is impossible to put into words. What a privilege to be Loved by the Saviour of the world!

However, as difficult and heartbreaking as all those years of crippling depression was for me, it does not compare to the heartache that our Saviour experienced while He was here on earth. What breaks my heart every time I think about it, is that His Heart is still breaking today when He sees the way we treat each other.

Jesus said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” So, every time that we are cruel to people and say critical and sarcastic words to them, we are being cruel to Jesus. We don’t have any right to ask Him for anything when we hurt Him like we do. Jesus deserves to be happy! It is time that we stop breaking His Heart and start treating people like He has asked us to treat them.

Are you breaking the Heart of Jesus today? Are you saying and doing kind things to people, or are you being cruel to them? If you are not loving people to Jesus, then your life is in vain. There is nothing as important and urgent as putting your arms around people and loving them to Jesus. When you stand before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, what will He say to you? Will He say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant”?

Joanne Lowe
June 28, 2006

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