To All Those Hurting...Please Read The Following:

[Timl1980]

First...please understand that I am writing, not to claim that I have all the answers... (or even some of them) ...for what hurt you may be experiencing currently.

 

No, my friends...I am simply writing because I ran across a small, teeny tiny portion of scriptures that has been instrumental in helping me get past the last month or so of my life...and, as always...I wanted to share it with all of you.

 

Please, my dear brothers and sisters...do not take this as something from Tim... but rather...take it for what it truly is...a warm, all-encompassing bear hug from our Creator.

 

A question was posed to me...a question that came from a brother who I reached out to in my time of need...and who responded, (as usual), with all the love and spiritual warmth I needed at the time.

 

And now...I will pose that same question to all of you: If someone who loved you dearly... (loved you with all the intensity and passion that one human could possibly have for another human being) ...had the power to give you a permanent name based solely off the very worst day of THEIR life...what do you think they would name you?

 

Now, obviously...having spent a lot of years in the world before returning to Jehovah...several expletives entered my mind almost immediately. 😬🙊

 

Finally, caught between what I truly WANTED to say...versus what I probably SHOULD say to an elder...I gave some weak response which I cannot even remember right now. 

 

He agreed, and then asked me if I knew anything about the Biblical character Jabez...and in particular...if I knew what his NAME MEANT.

 

Of course, I didn't...and of course he had me turn to the only two verses in the entire Bible that mention this dear man...1 Chronicles 4:9,10:

 

"Jaʹbez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother named him Jaʹbez, saying: “I gave birth to him in pain.”10 Jaʹbez called on the God of Israel, saying: “O that you would bless me and enlarge my territory and let your hand be with me and preserve me from calamity, so that it may bring no harm to me!” So God brought about what he had asked for."

 

This dear brother had me read these two verses...then asked me to really take a HARD look at how this man BEGAN his life...his own mother naming him and FOREVERMORE associating him with the PAIN she experienced bringing him into this world.

 

How would that have made Jabez feel???

 

No one wants to bring pain to anyone...their mother least of all.

 

And yet...since birth...this man had to carry around a harsh reminder of how his mother felt since the moment he entered this world. How would that daily reminder have made this man feel...when he had done nothing wrong to gain such a name...except LITERALLY being born??

 

Did he allow this to affect him his whole life? Was he to remain a haunted man...cringing every single time someone said his name with the slightest hint of sarcasm or derision?

 

No, my dear friends...in these two simple verses...we can gather so much about this faithful man...a man who had a bad name put upon him by the person he loved and trusted the most...a name he most certainly did NOT deserve.

 

What do we learn from these two verses?

 

First...please understand this...please hear what Jehovah is trying to teach us: Jabez’s story teaches us that we are not bound by our past or the labels others place on us. We can choose to redefine our future.

 

Also, please consider the following, from an October 2010 Watchtower:

 

"Jabez was a man of prayer. He began his prayer by pleading for God’s blessing. He then made three requests that reflect a heart full of faith.

First, Jabez implored God, saying: “Enlarge my territory.” (Verse 10) This honorable man was no land-grabber, coveting what belonged to his fellow man. His earnest request may have had more to do with people than land. He may have been asking for the peaceful enlargement of his territory so that it could hold more worshippers of the true God.

 

Second, Jabez pleaded for God’s “hand” to be with him. God’s symbolic hand is his applied power, which he uses to help his worshippers. (1 Chronicles 29:12) To receive the requests of his heart, Jabez looked to the God whose hand is not short toward those who show faith in him.—Isaiah 59:1.

 

Third, Jabez prayed: “Preserve me from calamity, that it may not hurt me.” The expression “that it may not hurt me” may suggest that Jabez prayed, not to escape calamity, but to be kept from being grieved or overcome by the effects of evil.

 

Jabez’ prayer revealed his concern for true worship and his faith and trust in the Hearer of prayer. How did Jehovah respond? This brief account concludes with the words: “Accordingly God brought to pass what he had asked.”

 

Friends...I know with certainty that Jabez' mother loved him...cherished him even.

 

And yet...in HER time of great pain and anguish...she ended up attaching a name to her own son that would have undoubtedly followed him all the years of his life...causing incalculable damage to his sense of self...and yet...he overcame it.

 

How did he do it?

 

Prayer...and faith in Jehovah.

 

Sounds simple, doesn't it?

 

Nothing I haven't heard a thousand times before...nothing I haven't preached to OTHERS a thousand times before...and yet...it's all that Jehovah ASKS of us.

 

So, to anyone who is hurting...whether it's from something you have done to yourself...or something that someone else has unfairly attached to you...please take Jehovah's advice...please accept the warmth he is extending to all of us...pray...do what we can reasonably do...and then have faith.

 

He will make everything right...he will make all of us whole.

 

It's our job to keep our heads up...it's our job to see what Jehovah sees...the person we will be on the other side of Armageddon. 

 

May all of you continue to fight, may each of you see yourself for who you truly ARE: One Of Jehovah's WITNESSES!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[hatcheckgirl]

5 hours ago, Timl1980 said:

So, to anyone who is hurting...whether it's from something you have done to yourself...or something that someone else has unfairly attached to you...please take Jehovah's advice...please accept the warmth he is extending to all of us...pray...do what we can reasonably do...and then have faith.

Thank you Tim, very insightful. It reminds me of the difficulty of overcoming intergenerational trauma. These days, parents everywhere are struggling and they can’t parent effectively as they themselves carry their own crushing burdens of their own childhood trauma, as well as working in this system. We know Satan’s system is very cruel, and making a living is precarious and stressful, whether one has a menial job or a professional one. No wonder children are suffering from emotional neglect.

 

In all this, we can see that the only relief for us in the truth (who face the same pressures) is to do things Jehovah’s way. He can break that intergenerational trauma, assuring us of his love. So yes, no matter what our start in life, Jehovah can make us feel whole.

[Joey]

On 8/17/2024 at 2:32 PM, Timl1980 said:

A question was posed to me...a question that came from a brother who I reached out to in my time of need...and who responded, (as usual), with all the love and spiritual warmth I needed at the time.

It simply amazes me that such brothers exist.How wonderful you have that brother.Thanks for sharing this.

[Mike047]

It's great, too, that our brothers and sisters feel they can share their feelings and link them to these very fine scriptures. Thank you for your intimate thoughts Tim.

[franceml]

On 8/17/2024 at 8:32 PM, Timl1980 said:

First...please understand that I am writing, not to claim that I have all the answers... (or even some of them) ...for what hurt you may be experiencing currently.

 

No, my friends...I am simply writing because I ran across a small, teeny tiny portion of scriptures that has been instrumental in helping me get past the last month or so of my life...and, as always...I wanted to share it with all of you.

 

Please, my dear brothers and sisters...do not take this as something from Tim... but rather...take it for what it truly is...a warm, all-encompassing bear hug from our Creator.

 

A question was posed to me...a question that came from a brother who I reached out to in my time of need...and who responded, (as usual), with all the love and spiritual warmth I needed at the time.

 

And now...I will pose that same question to all of you: If someone who loved you dearly... (loved you with all the intensity and passion that one human could possibly have for another human being) ...had the power to give you a permanent name based solely off the very worst day of THEIR life...what do you think they would name you?

 

Now, obviously...having spent a lot of years in the world before returning to Jehovah...several expletives entered my mind almost immediately. 😬🙊

 

Finally, caught between what I truly WANTED to say...versus what I probably SHOULD say to an elder...I gave some weak response which I cannot even remember right now. 

 

He agreed, and then asked me if I knew anything about the Biblical character Jabez...and in particular...if I knew what his NAME MEANT.

 

Of course, I didn't...and of course he had me turn to the only two verses in the entire Bible that mention this dear man...1 Chronicles 4:9,10:

 

"Jaʹbez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother named him Jaʹbez, saying: “I gave birth to him in pain.”10 Jaʹbez called on the God of Israel, saying: “O that you would bless me and enlarge my territory and let your hand be with me and preserve me from calamity, so that it may bring no harm to me!” So God brought about what he had asked for."

 

This dear brother had me read these two verses...then asked me to really take a HARD look at how this man BEGAN his life...his own mother naming him and FOREVERMORE associating him with the PAIN she experienced bringing him into this world.

 

How would that have made Jabez feel???

 

No one wants to bring pain to anyone...their mother least of all.

 

And yet...since birth...this man had to carry around a harsh reminder of how his mother felt since the moment he entered this world. How would that daily reminder have made this man feel...when he had done nothing wrong to gain such a name...except LITERALLY being born??

 

Did he allow this to affect him his whole life? Was he to remain a haunted man...cringing every single time someone said his name with the slightest hint of sarcasm or derision?

 

No, my dear friends...in these two simple verses...we can gather so much about this faithful man...a man who had a bad name put upon him by the person he loved and trusted the most...a name he most certainly did NOT deserve.

 

What do we learn from these two verses?

 

First...please understand this...please hear what Jehovah is trying to teach us: Jabez’s story teaches us that we are not bound by our past or the labels others place on us. We can choose to redefine our future.

 

Also, please consider the following, from an October 2010 Watchtower:

 

"Jabez was a man of prayer. He began his prayer by pleading for God’s blessing. He then made three requests that reflect a heart full of faith.

First, Jabez implored God, saying: “Enlarge my territory.” (Verse 10) This honorable man was no land-grabber, coveting what belonged to his fellow man. His earnest request may have had more to do with people than land. He may have been asking for the peaceful enlargement of his territory so that it could hold more worshippers of the true God.

 

Second, Jabez pleaded for God’s “hand” to be with him. God’s symbolic hand is his applied power, which he uses to help his worshippers. (1 Chronicles 29:12) To receive the requests of his heart, Jabez looked to the God whose hand is not short toward those who show faith in him.—Isaiah 59:1.

 

Third, Jabez prayed: “Preserve me from calamity, that it may not hurt me.” The expression “that it may not hurt me” may suggest that Jabez prayed, not to escape calamity, but to be kept from being grieved or overcome by the effects of evil.

 

Jabez’ prayer revealed his concern for true worship and his faith and trust in the Hearer of prayer. How did Jehovah respond? This brief account concludes with the words: “Accordingly God brought to pass what he had asked.”

 

Friends...I know with certainty that Jabez' mother loved him...cherished him even.

 

And yet...in HER time of great pain and anguish...she ended up attaching a name to her own son that would have undoubtedly followed him all the years of his life...causing incalculable damage to his sense of self...and yet...he overcame it.

 

How did he do it?

 

Prayer...and faith in Jehovah.

 

Sounds simple, doesn't it?

 

Nothing I haven't heard a thousand times before...nothing I haven't preached to OTHERS a thousand times before...and yet...it's all that Jehovah ASKS of us.

 

So, to anyone who is hurting...whether it's from something you have done to yourself...or something that someone else has unfairly attached to you...please take Jehovah's advice...please accept the warmth he is extending to all of us...pray...do what we can reasonably do...and then have faith.

 

He will make everything right...he will make all of us whole.

 

It's our job to keep our heads up...it's our job to see what Jehovah sees...the person we will be on the other side of Armageddon. 

 

May all of you continue to fight, may each of you see yourself for who you truly ARE: One Of Jehovah's WITNESSES!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's it!

Don't forget, we are an important part of His purpose.

Thanks for your reminders