Hope for the Hopeless

Tired, always tired, and gaunt, you wouldn’t look in the mirror if it was thrust in your face because you knew what you’d see and it isn’t a pretty sight.

Faded, unwashed hair straggling around your face is the least of your concerns, but the eyes…Oh those eyes, the dark look of hopelessness looming there is what makes others look away, it is so, so…what it is? Only you can say for sure: lonely? Despairing? Filled with a lifetime of pain, heartache, and grief?

You are plodding down a crowded street, shoved or avoided by the hurrying throng that you hardly notice, but you need a fix: that is your consuming desire, a fix, a fix, but that is exactly what you wanted to avoid at all costs.

 For ten, fifteen, maybe even twenty years or more your life has been a mess of addiction, prostitution and other details known only know to you but where oh where can you get your next very fleeting thrill from a pill, a bottle or a needle?

Natalie, yes, that’s a real person, was facing 

the same desperate situation once.  After serving time in jail, you can imagine what for, she had nowhere to turn, no place to live but, maybe with her sister.

She had been wandering, drifting for so many years that she absolutely loathed it. After reaching the empty apartment Natalie wandered out to the balcony and thought of ending her life by jumping down, but it wasn’t far enough. 

Across the normally teeming street was a new building going up with scaffolding high in the air. That’s where she was headed: that would be a good place to leap from. For some reason there was no one around which was very unusual, as she crossed the street, however, a small black man came out of the shadows and handed her a handwritten letter while saying: ‘Jesus loves you’. She paused to read it and one thing lead to another until she found out about Heart Seasons.

If you live in New York City maybe you have heard about them.

Natalie found a group of people with as bad a history as hers. She found other ‘sisters’ who had tried to recover countless times from addictions, but here at Heart Seasons there was hope. Yes, there really was.

This center was different than many; it focused on Jesus as the only answer. The program was strict, really strict for they were expected to take part in several hours of Bible study every single day, and were not allowed to ever leave without an escort.

After a year and a half or way longer if they wanted, if a person stuck with the program they could graduate, if they were ready. Being ready meant being able to rent an apartment and have a job for at least three months. Most were terrified of leaving, but of course, they weren’t abandoned, they had their support group, and best of all they had Jesus.

Are you like Natalie, desperate, despairing and certain you have tried every ‘solution’ out there?

There is hope. There truly is. Jesus can be your anchor from drifting back into sin. There are friends of Jesus who would love to reach out to you, also.

 Contact me, if you want and I’ll see what I can do to help. Look up Heart Seasons in the telephone book, or elsewhere. I’m trying to find an address for you.

P.S. I tried to find the website for you but the link appeared to be broken: try this:

The Bowery Mission Women’s Center at Heartsease Home

Whatever you do, never, never, never give up; there is hope.

Reaching for the Dangerous

But it’s soo tempting. Surely it can’t be that bad. I know lots of people that eat that very same fruit or at least something similar.

Laralee gazed longingly at the tree just a few steps off the woodland trail that she frequently traveled. With a sigh she turned away and marched onward, but a little imp that she couldn’t see but was often her companion hopped on her shoulder.

“I saw Ricky nibbling on that exact fruit just the other day, and he seemed to be enjoying it. Besides Penny-kay indulges in a similar type daily, in fact she has gone on to ‘stronger’ kinds.  Even though Laralee’s face clouded over at the thought of Penny-kay who had seemed pale and wane the last while, her feet lagged.

“You’ve always been stronger than your friend; who knows this might be just the stimulant you need to get you started on a new track, to see new horizons!”

Laralee turned back. Ahh, there was a delectable looking achene just out of her reach. She stood on her tiptoes and leaned forward, Who would have ever guessed there were so many thorns on that attractive looking bush?  She snagged the one of her choice and backed off to enjoy it. It was good, excellent actually, and she found herself craving more and more. Finally feeling drunken with her new pleasure she staggered away and only then noticed the sun was low in the sky.

“Why are your arms so scratched up?” her mother immediately asked when she stumbled drowsily through their own front door an hour later.

“Oh, I don’t know,” she yawned, “I had just gone for a walk, if you don’t mind I just feel like sleeping…”

Mother grabbed her arm and looked at it closely.

“Honey, you have been eating of the forbidden fruit. Ever since Eve tasted it, the Lord God caused thorns to grow on certain types of trees to keep people from sampling them.”

“Ya?” Laralee stifled another yawn. 

“Those thorns are called Conscience Thorns to keep you and the rest of us safe. Please don’t eat of it again.”

Laralee nodded vaguely and tried to inch away, but Mother placed a hand on her shoulder. “The fruit you ate today isn’t immediately life-threatening, but don’t let that fool you. The more innocent seeming kinds have been planted by the Evil One closest to the path but they quickly lose their appeal so that wanderers will be enticed further into the Enchanted Woods. The deeper one goes the more entangled they become until the wicked ruler of those grounds convinces them they are hopelessly lost or that his fruit is actually better than what the Lord God provides.

Laralee’s eyes drifted shut. “Okay, Mom, I’ll be careful.” She didn’t know that it was the enemy that was making her so sleepy and unaware of the dangers she was being tempted with.

Will she be careful? Will you and I? Will we listen careful to the Lord God and stay away from those temptations that the Holy Spirit warns us against? Sooner or later the thorns wouldn’t bother as much if we allow ourselves to become used to the forbidden fruit.  But it won’t be worth it.