Man’s End Being God’s Beginning
This was a painful period to recall from my youth, but I was able to walk out from it because of Him.
During my junior high school days, my two classmates and I formed an enviable friendship among peers. We were always together, having our meals together, chatting with one other and hanging out together. I considered them my true friends. However, the time came when another classmate stirred up distrust in our friendship, which instigated countless arguments and misunderstandings among us. The rift in our friendship became wider by the day, and eventually led us to part ways. Still, the hurtful words that my friends had said were painfully etched in my heart, like cuts from a sharp-edged knife that could not be healed even after a long period of time. I could not but believe that it was that particular classmate who caused the other classmates to have a lot of prejudice against me. Until the day of my graduation from junior high, I still carried this feeling of regret along with my graduation certificate.
I entered senior high school with hopeful anticipation and made friends with a group of four girls on my first day. I thought that with so many new friends around me, I would surely be happier than my junior high days and expected brighter days ahead. To my dismay, by the end of September, three of the girls had boyfriends and started spending the whole day with them. At first, it did not bother me since there were still two of us. Much to my dismay, the remaining friend also left me, saying, “It’s too boring with just the two of us.” She went off to join another circle. In my mind, I thought, “I am not difficult to deal with. But how come friends always end up leaving me?”
During this moment, a voice within me said: “The Lord is your shepherd, you will lack nothing. He makes you lie down in green pastures. He leads you beside waters of rest” (Psalm 23: 1-2). I wept. I finally realized that only the Lord Jesus Christ is our true Friend. He will never forsake us but will always comfort us. While the world brings us a lot of pain, our Lord will never hurt us. He makes us lie down in green pastures and leads us beside waters of rest. By coming to Him and enjoying Him, we can break away from the bondage of our sorrow.
Are you happy today? I believe that you also wish to have such a friend who is always by your side. I invite you to come and enjoy Him!