Is anyone there? Help! I’m drowning in this sea of humanity. No one can hear me. No one cares! I know what, I’ll just disappear. No one will ever know.

Have you ever had these thoughts? Are you having them now? Do you know of someone who might? What would you tell me if I said that this is a good place to be? You are at a crossroads. You are special and have been given a unique opportunity. Unfortunately, some people never see the crossroads and continue down a path oblivious to the choices that are available to them.

So have I gotten your attention or are you so angry you are going to close this page? It’s your choice, but I pray that you will consider what I have to share. I have been where you are more than once in my life. Each time was very difficult and I didn’t want to go on. In fact, I just wanted to die. “Lord, take me home.” “How can I get out of here?” “No one can see me and no one cares.” “They’d be better off without me.” “No one will even miss me.”

These are all emotions and they are temporary. They spring from depression and sometimes self-pity. If they go unchecked they can attract a spirit of suicide or murder. Take a look at your life and see how you got here. Was it something you did or didn’t do, or was it something someone did to you? You are at a crossroads in your life. The choice you make here will either lead to new life or down a path of destruction and death. You can choose to forget the past for now. You can choose to see that maybe the Lord is reaching out to you to give you a brand new start and a brand new life. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. The place you are in is only temporary. Don’t make a permanent decision for a temporary problem. Suicide is a permanent decision. You are in a temporary situation. Can you hear me? You need to hear this truth above everything else you are feeling or may be hearing. You are special and you are precious to the Lord.

This is a place of building your spiritual and emotional muscles. How do athletes get strong? They lift weights. They keep adding more weight over a period of time until they get stronger and stronger. That is also how it is in the spirit. You have a spirit man, but if you don’t lift the weights of the trials you face, you will get weak and die. The Lord wants us to be strong in Him so that we can overcome and help others. Allow your spiritual muscles to get strong by overcoming the obstacles placed in your life. Don’t close up and keep all of that stuff inside. Choose to forgive and forget with His strength and grace. Let Him forgive others through you. Making the choice is the hardest part. Walking the path is much easier. When you align your will with His, His grace kicks in and enables you to conquer the highest mountains in your life. It isn’t easy, but it is worth it. I have always come to a better place. It has always been worth the choice. If I had to do it all over again, I’d still say yes to His way. It’s not the mountain top experiences that change our lives the most, it is the journey up to the top.

I hope this encourages you. I know it has encouraged me just writing it and reflecting on those dark times in my life and seeing just how far I’ve come. While this isn’t the life I would have chosen for myself, it is a good life. When you are on a journey with the Lord, it is always full of adventure and excitement. It is my hope that you dare to make the change. Lift up your head and see that the Lord is good and that He is Who He says He is. Others can talk a lot about Him and what they believe, but you need to experience a relationship with Him for yourself. Go for it. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Dare to reach out to others who are hurting and you will be encouraged also. Who knows, you may even find a friend or two who will become your best friends. Share your smile. Share His love. Change a life and change yours too.

I have some songs I have written that talk about the crossroads. As time and funding become available, I’ll record and produce these and make them available on the web site. I built a flash jukebox on the site with two of my songs recorded live in San Antonio, Texas, if you would like to listen to them. Here is the link. There are more posts available on this site for you to read or share. I have a book and an art print that we will be offering in the near future. I am currently in the middle of writing my second book and hopefully it will be available soon.

May the Lord bless you and may you have a wonderful life as you walk with Him. May He anoint you and fill you with His peace, love, joy, hope, and grace.

Joseph