FOUR: Master of the spiritual universe

OK, so I said last week that I wanted to separate the supernatural universe from the spiritual one, and this is why. Jesus deals with something called sin, and this is so important that it needed a blog on its own.
In this series I have wanted to show you, and I will be honest, convince you that Jesus is who he says he is, and that all authority is his. He really is the master of the universe.
Jesus didn’t contradict himself, he didn’t undo anything we see in the Old Testament, he fulfilled it, he even said that himself. The issue of sin (disobedience to God) had infected humanity right from day one, and was the thing Jesus had to sort out. He carried the consequence of sin, the wages of it (death) and paid that price for us, full stop. The bible is very clear on all of this, and what is really incredible for me is that Jesus was forgiving sins even before this happened.

“Your sins are forgiven”

Jesus was speaking, teaching, healing and doing incredible things but he was also saying to people ‘your sins are forgiven.’ OK, now this is the part where we can really see that Jesus was either completely mad and believed he was the son of God in a delusional way or, he was the son of God. The only one with power to forgive sin was God. The only place to find that forgiveness was through God and in particular, for the 1st century Jewish culture, it was in the observation of the laws and patterns of life and sacrifice God had shown them. But here not only does Jesus pay for our sins on the cross with his life, he was showing those around him and us today that the authority was his.
This is something that immediately marked him for death. The people listening had drawn the first conclusion, this bloke is blaspheming, he is telling us he can forgive sin, ie he is the son of God, which he just can’t be, so we must kill him. They refused to believe that he really was the master of the spiritual universe and had authority to forgive sin.
Have a read of Matthew 9:1-8
“Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So, he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” Then the man got up and went home.
This is great news for us, Jesus was who he said he was. His life, death and resurrection has really freed us from sin! I don’t know about you but this really is showing the master of the universe and the master of me!
Last blog next week on this, don’t miss it!

Photo Credit: John Towner

THREE: Master of the supernatural universe 

I want to reflect a bit in this blog about how Jesus was master of the supernatural universe. I will deal specifically with the ‘spiritual’ universe in the next blog, (ie sin), so this is about the supernatural.
I grew up in the UK and to be totally honest, other than the odd-looking fortune teller here and there and some occasional pop up physic fair’s, the supernatural stuff just wasn’t something that was obvious.
Perhaps the UK culture doesn’t really provide a lot of space for this either so it is somewhat unseen. We heard about spiritual battles in church but the supernatural element was all a bit mysterious, so it just got avoided.
In Jesus’ culture this ‘supernatural’ awareness seemed to be far more accepted. If someone was thrown to the ground convulsing and speaking out in a shriek it didn’t seem to phase people too much. The bible records lots of supernatural stuff where we see a glimpse of it’s negative impacts in the lives of people demonised.
Other cultures and countries today are perhaps more aligned to the culture we see back in Jesus’ time. In African countries these practices are far more common-place and when I was in Brazil I was certainly exposed to this stuff first hand.
Have a read of the entire passage in your bible as I am only quoting a small bit here:
Matthew 8: 28-34
What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted (the evil spirits). “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”

“Before Jesus has even said anything his absolute authority over the supernatural universe has been seen”

So, the point of this blog is to say that even within this mysterious supernatural world, Jesus is clearly seen to have all authority, absolute authority in fact! The bible doesn’t pull its punches either on this stuff, it calls these men (or man) demonised, the community had abandoned hope for them and they lived in isolation. Before Jesus has (in some accounts) even said anything his absolute authority over the supernatural universe has been seen, then he orders the demons to leave. Which they had to do, it wasn’t a choice!
This isn’t the only place where you can read about Jesus showing to all those around and the person or people involved that the kingdom of God has come and Jesus has all authority. Even authority over the supernatural world. Amazing right? This is why Jesus has overcome, he has all authority, he has overcome this world and we can trust him, really trust him!

Photo Credit: Josh Marshall

TWO: Master of the natural universe

I remember watching the news in 2004 after a 9.1 magnitude earthquake rocked the earth resulting in a massive tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in fourteen different countries. The videos that gradually emerged of this tsunami were utterly horrifying, the speed and ferocity of the wave brought with it utter devastation of lives, property and land.
These types of natural disasters are common, giant waves, wind storms, hail, floods or gigantic snow drifts. We live on a planet that is hostile and moves and works without invite, warning and with fierce power.
I have always felt this when I have been out on the sea or near it during a storm. I remember a mate of mine with a fishing boat had invited me to go play one week, and we got everything sorted and ready. On the day of the big fishing trip a storm came in from nowhere and rudely ended our plans, there was nothing we could do, the sea had decided that today I wasn’t going fishing.

“Who is this man that the wind and waves should obey him? He must be the master of the universe!

Have a read of the whole story in your bible as I am only quoting a bit here:
Matthew 8: 23-27
‘Then he (Jesus) got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
These disciples were not afraid of being at sea, they were seasoned fisherman and had spent their lives on that lake. First time they had seen a storm? Nah. But this one was serious, so much so that they actually thought this was the end and death was coming.
Jesus get up, calmly and the bible tells us he rebukes the storm and it immediately dies down. The men, visibly in shock exclaim ‘who is this man that the wind and waves should obey him!’
BOOM!
So, who do you know that can do that? Have you ever shouted at the rain for it to stop or stood in a storm and told it off and then it stopped? Who has this power? Who can do this stuff? This is amazing and another way in which Jesus shows that he really does have all authority on earth and in heaven. Even the winds and waves obey him! Wow.

Photo Credit: Chris Lawton

I grew up watching plenty of cartoons, and the best, by far was He Man, Master of the Universe. I am sure you know exactly who I am on about, but just in case you don’t, He Man was amazing.
Muscles on muscles, a beautiful mop of golden hair in a mullet, and a spandex outfit that enabled him full combat movement when defeating his arch enemy Skeletor and his minions.
He Man had a sword and as a kid watching him summon his power and dispatch the enemies was fantastic. I was in awe, this was He Man, Master of the Universe.
Anyway, the point of this blog series (5 blogs) is to share my discovery of the real master of the universe, let’s go for it.

ONE: Master of the physical universe

In the bible there is a passage that is called the ‘great commission’. Jesus has defeated death on the cross, is alive again and commissions and sends out his disciples. But this is not only for the disciples it applies to all who follow on, to go and be about kingdom business.
He says this ‘all authority on earth and in heaven has been given to me, so go.’
ALL authority, not part or some, all. So this must mean he is the real master of the universe, and I think we can see it in a few ways, the first is he was master of the physical universe.
Read: Matthew 8: 1-4 (also 5-22)
‘A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

“I can only draw one conclusion from this, Jesus had absolute authority over the physical universe we know and understand.”

Jesus deals with physical illness, sickness, disease and even death. He speaks words and lives are instantly and radically set free. People have limbs healed, sight restored and on one occasion, at a funeral, Jesus reaches into the coffin and raises the lad back to life.
I can only draw one conclusion from this. Jesus had absolute authority over the physical universe we know and understand. Even today you hear about prayer for sick people getting answered, but, sometimes prayer for sick people isn’t answered how we hope and they get worse and die.
This is not then suggesting that Jesus will always act, or heal in the ways we expect and that in actual fact this is all on his terms and not ours. It is his power exclusively and there must be reasons why some are healed and others are not, it is an answer I will understand one day.
But, until then, what I can see from the bible is that Jesus didn’t stop showing his absolute authority over the physical universe. No one else in all of history, or in the future has done or will be able do show that power.
Part one over, join me next week for Jesus, master of the Natural universe!

Photo Credit: Bryan Goff

³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:30 (NIV)

Maybe you have read this verse before and it has been an inspiration to you, I know that’s true for me. I was recently at the men’s group I am part of, and one of the guys, Rick, shared this bible verse but he read it from the message and it really impacted me in a new way.
The subheading here is ‘the unforced rhythms of grace.’
28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:30 The Message
I absolutely love the way this is worded, the idea of these ‘unforced rhythms of grace’ in our lives is something a bit unique when it comes to faith.
I don’t know about you but the world around us runs at an alarming rate, pressure, pace, movement, seal the deal, buy it now, next day delivery, go go go. We can see this at work, in our home lives, on TV and it’s only when we go on holiday that we get off the treadmill, and very often get ill because we are exhausted and then need another holiday to get over the fallout.
Life also seems to be about encouraging us to fight against aging, fight against getting old and make this life last forever. Anti-aging, stay younger, hide the wrinkles, colour the grey, be young and live in the slip stream of all that life has for you now!
And pause, take a nice, slow, deep breathe, exhale……
I think the rhythm of grace Jesus offers has overcome the world and it’s breakneck pace. A mate of mine reflected on life recently like a train, he is in the engine room shovelling coal, he can’t stop shovelling coal and like thousands of men we feel like our lives and family depend on us shovelling coal until we drop dead in front of the trains furnace. Job done.
Jesus seems to find a way into this rhythm, and he puts the brakes on. He schedules a stop for the train that even with you shovelling coal like mad can’t change. Jesus doesn’t force ill-fitting rhythms onto us, or burdens that mean we dissolve under their weight. The bible tells us that what Jesus provides is right for us and we can learn to live light and free!
So my question to you today is, are you tired and worn out? Then spend some time with Jesus, find a place, a time and get yourself alone with Him. Speak to him and start to listen to the unforced rhythms of grace. It is ok to put the shovel down and step away from the trains furnace!

Image Credit: Matej Rieciciar

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 (NIV)

What things did Jesus tell them? Well, he basically told them that soon their grief would be turned into joy. Jesus had come from the father and was going back to him. ‘In a little while’ says Jesus ‘you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.’
The disciples quizzed Jesus and wanted to know what he was saying, of course now we get the full picture. Jesus was alluding to his death on the cross, and then his resurrection and ascension back to his Father in heaven. Jesus is telling his disciples this and explains that he is doing so (telling them about it) to fill them with peace because trouble is coming but Jesus has overcome the world. What does that mean? We know that trouble did come in the form of horrendous persecution and death for so many of these young disciples, Jesus wasn’t giving them a guarantee of ultimate safe passage without harm and conflict. So what was he saying then? He has overcome the world?
This ‘overcoming the world’ is like a victory that is assured, and something that has been accomplished already. Something then that stands outside of time in certain aspects because it hasn’t lost it’s impact and victory today for any and all who discover it. It was still just as relevant then for those early disciples.
So what does that really mean to you and me today? Well, I think the truth that Jesus has overcome the world means that not only in the moments of victory and the joys of this life can we know his true peace, but experience it also in the midst of pain, uncertainty and chaos.
This world would suggest that this is it, what you have now and can put around you is it, but Jesus has somehow overcome this idea. The world tells us that it’s ok to hate those that hate you and to get revenge when you’re wronged. Jesus has overcome this idea. The world tells us that money will be your security, better job, new car and cash in the bank will be all you need for a good life, Jesus has overcome this.
For me, there seems to be a sense here that even though difficulties come along, loneliness, separation, death, debt, health scares and well whatever, we can have an anchor or grounding in the fact that Jesus has overcome this stuff. He has achieved a victory that grants us peace during these storms that surge into our lives. That’s a massive comfort actually, because at times, (if we are really honest) we won’t always feel that gushing sense of peace, maybe it will just be a strong conviction that guides us and keeps us rooted. A peace that knows deep down Jesus has overcome this stuff, and we can know that freedom and peace even as this storm rages around us.

Image Credit: Matej Rieciciar

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Matthew 5:43-44 (NIV)

Personally this verse is one of the hardest ones for me to wrestle with. Firstly, who is my neighbour? Is it literally 1 house either side of mine? Or is it the street, any one in Essex? Britain, Europe? Does it reach further? Could it be the 7 billion + human beings that populate the earth? Are we really neighbours? Does there need to be some sort of relationship here to be neighbours, some sort of connection or is it a generic term to just mean everyone?
For Israel, it was the children of their people, as a nation that was perhaps a bit easier at the time to quantify and be able to work out. ‘Are you from any of the tribes of Israel? No? Great then you’re not my neighbour, goodbye.
The term ‘neighbour’ in today’s definitions seems to mean ‘someone who is very close in proximity.’ Ok, so that sort of works then, its people who I come into contact with or who I could easily be in contact with that are living and functioning close to where I live and work etc. What about social media?
I live in a new build house and our fences are 6-foot-high and solid timber, so I can’t actually see my neighbours in the garden anymore. I remember growing up and our family home had 3-foot high wire mesh fences. I would sit in the garden playing and listen to my mum and dad chatting away over the fence to our next-door neighbours, the Davis Family. We knew their children, if both families were out in the garden on a summers day you couldn’t ignore them or pretend they couldn’t see you and vice versa, you ‘did’ neighbours stuff. You talked and were interested in each other.
The fences on social media don’t really exist either, you can reach across the sea in a second and have a chat with someone thousands of miles away. Share videos and live feeds. So who is your neighbour? How do you define it? Then maybe the next question to ask is to do with the Jesus statement; how do you love them?
This bit is a challenge! So we need to define who are neighbours are and love them but we are reading here that Jesus expects us to love our enemies too, and pray for the ones who actively and purposefully hurt us. Er…what?
This has been explored and debated so much – I would love to see what your thoughts are in the comments to loving our enemies. What does this look like? Who are these people and what does it really mean to love them? Invite them over for tea? Or is it about not seeking revenge but speaking well of them, doing ‘loving’ things as opposed to ‘hateful’ things?
As always if Jesus said it you can be sure he lived it, and guess what, he did.
‘Forgive them father for they know not what they do!’
Jesus is at the worst moment in his life, he can see his own murder unfolding before him. Having already been ridiculed and savagely flogged and now hanging there, nailed to the cross, he shows love to those who the world would say are his clear enemies. He doesn’t call down fire and lightening from heaven to strike them, he calls out no curse from the cross upon them, he shouts from his lungs a cry of love for his enemies.
I don’t know how you read these words of Jesus but for me, Jesus backed them up in the way he lived and the way he died. I find that incredibly moving.

Image Credit: Matej Rieciciar

“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”

Mark 8:34-37 (NIV)

Lets set the scene. Jesus has been moving around the area and saying incredible things, he has drawn a massive crowd and they are in awe of him. In addition to this Jesus is directly speaking away illness and sickness in people’s lives! Imagine it, you go to see Jesus speak and your uncle Bert goes forward, he has not been able to hear since birth and within in a moment he can hear your voice for the first time and he’s leaping around like a firework thanking Jesus.
Or you go to a gathering where Jesus is and it’s a long hot day, the kids are fighting because they’re hungry and you forgot to bring any lunch. Suddenly you can see Jesus collecting the lunch of a lad up the front and then within a few minutes, baskets of bread and fish are going around and feeding everyone. Maybe even your kids are filling their pockets for the journey home, mine would!
Or imagine the guy who nobody can go near, violently demonised and shunned from the community. This guy has an encounter with Jesus and suddenly he is dressed, focused and walking about as clear as day, restored back into community and family.
Is it any wonder Jesus had a crowd following him? He would have been hounded at every town and village, there was no shortage of people needing this sort of help.
But what amazes me, is that Jesus could have maintained a wonderful life and ministry touring the big cities are working the show stopping miracles. He could have gone everywhere with this stuff and built a real name for himself, but with the crowd following behind he stops and says this:
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”
This bothers me, why would he do this? People began to turn away, people stopped in their tracks, men, women and children just walked away from Jesus. This was difficult teaching, this wasn’t comfortable anymore, ‘keep doing the healing miracle Jesus, we like that stuff!’
Jesus hits this lot with something so profound that I am not sure we really discover it until we discover the shape of our own cross, often through life’s adversities.
When everything is wonderful the idea of thinking about what our own ‘crosses’ are and how we carry them, is tucked away and hidden in the ‘not required’ drawer. Our Christian faith is nice, sweet, tidy, ordered and well groomed. Trouble is, its not until we come unstuck in life, hit a wave of chaos that threatens to drown us or are attacked and beaten up by life that we start to gain some deeper clarity on this.
Denying ourselves, in my opinion, is so tough to do with authenticity. What about my rights? What about my feelings, my dreams, my money or my time? What about me! Why should I forgive when that person hurt me? Why should I seek reconciliation when it wasn’t me that caused the division? This wasn’t fair, why should I trust again?
For each of us our cross will be different, wrapped in a set of ‘things’ that we can identify in our lives, but there is, in my opinion, a unifying element to all the crosses. They all have resurrection DNA coded into their very fabric. They all have the victory of Christ nailed onto them.
We are not doing this cross carrying, trusting and hoping alone, we are not stumbling and struggling whilst God sits light years away watching it all pan out for his amusement. We are accompanied by the Holy Spirit who reminds us minute by minute, hour by hour that Jesus has defeated this world and has given us victory.
My prayer is this; why not make it yours ?
Jesus, this is all about you and all about your strength, presence and life in me, I might not always feel your presence and the valleys can be deep and dark but lead me on, minute by minute, hour by hour.

Image Credit: Matej Rieciciar

I have always been an optimist. As a young man starting out in the Financial Services profession in 1990, I relished and devoured numerous books and tapes on Personal Development and Positive Mental Attitude. Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracey and Dale Carnegie were just some of the individuals who greatly influenced my life, forming and fuelling my thinking.
Commission only sales was not an easy profession and we regularly practiced positive affirmations. ‘Tough times don’t last, tough people do’, ‘Keep on, keeping on,’ and ‘I plough through every barrier and I’m hungry for more!’ These were the days when one of the catchphrase mantras was ‘lunch is for wimps!’ There wasn’t much spoken about mental health, just mental attitude. And strong mental attitude was everything. There was not the patience or understanding surrounding ‘mental weakness’. It seemed to blur into Mental Illness, which many refrained from talking about. I must admit, the few times when I had a client sitting in front of me completing a medical questionnaire and declaring a period of depression, I was naively sympathetic, but did not have any real idea as to what it meant. I moved the conversation on. Depression, stress and anxiety were all conditions that made getting insurance cover from providers more difficult and costlier.
In 2010, and after a period of 20 years in the profession, my business (along with many others) was forced to cease trading overnight. This was a huge blow as it left me unable to work and with no source of income. The following few years were tough, and my efforts to get work with a salary that could still pay the bills were not very fruitful. In the end, I had no choice but to seek advice from a debt management agency and enter hardship programmes with all my creditors.
Was all this influencing my mental health? You bet. Stress and anxiety. Could I see it? No. In all honesty, I kept pressing ahead, trying to keep plates spinning all over the place whilst believing I could get on top of it. I can remember visiting my doctor during this period, suffering with stomach problems, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations. I said to him half joking, ‘Do you think I am going mad’? He was a small Indian man who was previously a client of mine. I will never forget him pausing from writing notes, looking up at me, putting his hand on mine, saying ‘It’s going to be OK’. I smiled and can remember thinking ‘He’s serious! Hang on a minute, I’m a Christian. I am the one who should be offering kind words of hope and encouragement to you!’
He gave me a prescription saying that this would help relax me a bit. Did I go to the chemist and get the prescription? NO! My thinking was………I am not taking pills. Pills are not good. It’s a sign of weakness. I will work this through with my thinking and with my faith.
There its lots more I can tell you about this journey. However, at the time of writing, and from a state of contentment and happiness, I can reflect on this episode from a position of increased mental health awareness. I am very fortunate to have good friends around me who I have been able to open up to, wise people of faith that have spoken truth into my life, a loving wife, and a deep faith in Christ which has shown me a peace above all human understanding.
Being on team with CVM, most of my work is geared towards men. With suicide being the biggest killer of men under the age of 45 in the UK today, I am learning all the time about aspects of Mental Health. Just recently, I heard a talk from Patrick Reagan from Kintsugi Hope. One of the slides put up said:

‘Depression, anxiety and panic attacks are not signs of weakness, but signs of trying to remain strong for too long’.

That was me. I was trying to be strong, living in denial from what the dashboard warning lights of my heath were displaying about my circumstances. I am fortunate that my journey was not as extreme as some. I have never felt suicidal. Depressed? Yes. Alone? Yes. Times of low self-worth? Most definitely.
And this is one of my reasons as to WHY I do what I do now, and why we at CVM encourage men to form trusted relationships. Friends to whom we can be vulnerable and talk about real life issues with one another that have a positive impact on our mental health. In many cases, these conversations are literally life-saving.

—

If you need to reach out and begin the journey away from the precipice the starting point is to tell someone. Talk to someone you trust, let family or friends know what’s going on for you, they may be able to offer help and support. If you find it difficult to talk to someone you know these free helplines are there to help.

• Samaritans – Available 24hr for everyone – Call 116 123
• Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) – Available 5pm to Midnight for men – Call 0800 58 58 58

Help and support is available right now if you need it. You don’t have to struggle with difficult feelings alone.
If you’re worried about someone, try to get them to talk to you. Ask open-ended questions like: “How do you feel about…?” Don’t worry about having the answers. Just listening to what someone has to say and taking it seriously can be more helpful. See Samaritans’ tips on how to start a difficult conversation.
Image Credit: Alex Iby

Do we ever stop and think? Put ourselves in the shoes of another? That’s what we’re told we should be doing, after all shouldn’t we be aware of just what it means to be aware of mental illness?
My path is a familiar one – I met a bloke who was broken, down, lost, desperate and just looking for someone to help him – he was drowning in the minefield of self loathing, pity, remorse and his goal was for everything to be ‘the way it used to be!’
This bloke was from a similar background to myself, an engineer by trade, married, children, a house, etc etc….. Except he’d suffered a blow to the head which had changed his personality. He used to be overly confident with a tendency to strike first and ask questions later – especially when alcohol or women were involved – a formidable individual. This wasn’t the man I now knew. He had become timid, vulnerable, and afraid of his own shadow! In fact I could write a book on the complexities and experiences with this mate, but this is supposed to be a blog, so I will keep it short and to the point …
My initial reaction was, as most people, one of pity. But as his condition began to unfold I found myself getting frustrated, expecting him to see things as I did, to understand the simple messages I was trying to get across – encouragement, positive mental attitude…. and so on! What I was failing to do was empathise with him, rather I tried to sympathise and help ‘fix’!!! What a bloke default position that is – broken, must fix!
His condition got worse – he lost his marriage and house. He spent an eternity going in and out of the mental health system, and eventually ended up hiding in the local woods for about a month surviving on river water! He was found hours from death by a walker.
When I first saw him in hospital after he was found, he was just a skeleton with frost bitten feet. He was in a desperate condition, but at least he was alive…
Fast forward to today and my friend would tell you that even though he chose that route, the things that kept him going were his faith in Jesus, his friends words of encouragement and the support people tried to give him at his lowest points. He didn’t forget these things. There is so much more to this story, and maybe there is a book to be written, but this isn’t the place.
To sum this up I’d refer to 1 Corinthians 13 – The Way of Love. Everything we do needs to be out of love, sometimes a concept alien to us blokes, and the love I have for my friend only came from my Fathers love for me. To be honest I didn’t like him a lot of the time as his mental illness. It made him unpredictable, irrational, with a propensity to lie for need of affirmation. But I did have compassion and love for him, because of the love Jesus showed for me.
We have to choose to love, and for the right reasons – there is no point in doing this unless that’s the primary reason behind it.
If you need to reach out and begin the journey away from the precipice the starting point is to tell someone. Talk to someone you trust, let family or friends know what’s going on for you, they may be able to offer help and support. If you find it difficult to talk to someone you know these free helplines are there to help.

• Samaritans – Available 24hr for everyone – Call 116 123
• Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) – Available 5pm to Midnight for men – Call 0800 58 58 58

Help and support is available right now if you need it. You don’t have to struggle with difficult feelings alone.
If you’re worried about someone, try to get them to talk to you. Ask open-ended questions like: “How do you feel about…?” Don’t worry about having the answers. Just listening to what someone has to say and taking it seriously can be more helpful. See Samaritans’ tips on how to start a difficult conversation.
Image Credit: Alex Iby