What's the World Coming to?

Is it me or does it seem like we're in the midst of a chapter in Revelations (The Holy Bible)? Crazy natural disasters like Katrina and tidal waves, freezing wind storms in the middle of Spring, mass killings here at home and in an unjustified war... what's next? Locust swarms and blood red oceans?

Life is overwhelming sometimes. Just living from day to day can put insurmountable pressure on a person - especially young people who aren't fully grounded and are still trying to figure things out. There is a fine line between sanity and insanity, and I think there have been a couple times in my life where I felt I was balancing right on that line. Had it not been for prayer and believing that God's got me in the palm of His hand, as well as friends and family being there for me, I would've surely lost it.

33 innocent people killed for no good reason on a college campus and many more injured. Lord, how do we make sense of this? Believers know that God doesn't let anything happen that He doesn't want to happen. He even has to give permission for the Devil to act a fool, right? We just have to believe that there is a reason for all this and that perhaps it is just not our place to understand the "why?" of it all.

If nothing else, this is one of those times where we all need something to hold on to -- call it religion, faith, whatever. You gotta believe that you are not alone no matter how lonely or abandoned you feel. I really wonder what this kid's parents are like and if they ever showed him love or encouraged him. I'm not saying it's always the parents fault. But we have to show love to those around us. Be an encouragement to someone. Feel free to compliment your friends and family on how beautiful, sweet, wonderful they are. Be proud of your children and tell them so. Be an example of self-love to those around you.

If you have no friends or family, and you feel you are unloved, you have to learn to love yourself. Affirm yourself on a daily basis. Talk to someone. Seek help whether it be with someone you know or call a hotline. Here are just a few.

Suicide Hotline: 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433)
LifeLine: 1-800-273-8255
Depression Hotline: 630-482-9696

If you do not believe in God or some greater power, learn to believe in yourself. There is spirit within all of us that is inherently good. Recognize the good things about yourself and love that part of you. Nurture it. Meditate on it. If you're in a bad situation or surrounded by negativity, fight with all your might to get away from it. You have the power to reinvent yourself. Just believe that you have a purpose on this earth and that if you just hold on, something good will come.