So tonight, as my husband got the kids ready for bed and did worship with them, I took a lavendar infused bath. My body and mind both worn out and tired from the craziness of the last few days. I could feel it coming and have been trying to suck it up and keep moving, but as anyone who struggles with depression/anxiety/etc. can tell you, at some point you can’t suck it up anymore.

Today was the day where my brain just seemed to scream at me to STOP!! Stop pretending. Stop trying to keep moving. I did. I felt like I couldn’t just couldn’t handle anything. So what’s a girl to do? One of the first things to come to my mind was to call my mommy!(Yep I do realize that I am about to turn 33 and still call her mommy) I just cried it out and shared what was on my heart. Then, through my tears and loneliness, I got to watch as God worked in the way He so often does when I finally just stop.

In a lull, my mom prayed for the words to say to me. She continued to encourage me and cried with me and did exactly what a mom is supposed to do. She believed in me. She reached out the best she could from over 1000 miles away. She listened to the Spirit. She spoke words of life to me.

Now during this call, I didn’t realize that my oldest was overhearing part of what I was saying. She came down with her Bible open to John 3:16 and said she wanted to encourage me and hugged and kissed me and let me know that she loved me.

As the aroma of lavender was going down the drain and I continued getting ready for bed, she walked into the bathroom and asked if she could pray with me. There, on the tile, she got on her knees and opened her heart to the King of the Universe and asked that He would come and help me (even if it takes two weeks) and asked Him to help her help me. I was moved to tears. My daughter, my 9 year old, who can at times make me question whether I am doing ANYTHING right as a parent, was listening to the same Spirit that my mother had. She reached out in the best way she could. She spoke words of Life into me.

There are people all around us that are hurting and they do the same thing I do. They suck it up. They put on “the face”. You know that face. You may have worn it yourself in the past. The everything-inside-me-is-breaking-but-you-will-never-know-it smile. Yep that one Inwardly we are dying. We are needing life to be spoken into us. Sometimes a stranger may do it. But frequently, those closest to us don’t even know that we need it. We have to let them in. Share from the heart.

If you are someone who struggles, like me, reach out and encourage others. We often think our road is lonely, but if we reach out there is frequently someone else on that road who will take hold of your hand thinking they were alone too. I have a friend like that. I can reach out and know prayers will ascend. If they post or text, my prayers will ascend. No matter how dark it may feel, light will pierce in that moment to speak life over them.

If you know someone who struggles with depression or anxiety or maybe you just know that it may have been a rough week, take a minute and think about it, you probably know someone, pick up the phone and give them a call. Send them a message on facebook. Give them a hug next time you see them. Maybe, just maybe, you will be able to speak Life into them.

I leave you with some of the words from one of my favorite songs, Speak Life by Toby Mac, as well as his official lyric video from YouTube. Please watch it and if a name comes to your mind, please take that as the Spirit pressing on your heart to contact that person and Speak Life to them.

Well it’s crazy to imagine,
Words from our lips as the arms of compassion,
Mountains crumble with every syllable.
Hope can live or die.

So speak Life, speak Life.
To the deadest darkest night.
Speak life, speak Life.
When the sun won’t shine and you don’t know why.
Look into the eyes of the brokenhearted;
Watch them come alive as soon as you speak hope,
You speak love, you speak…
You speak Life, You speak Life.