I know how you feel

This is dedicated to my friend Jeff, who doesn’t read my blog.

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I can’t tell you how many days it’s been. Forty-some? I don’t really care anymore. For the most part, I know I’m healing. God is answering that prayer of mine: to find peace in Truth. I’m finding happiness and peace in the presence of my friends, in dreams of the future (Seattle, baby!), in helping others, in God’s grace. *

* I find it interesting how sick I am of religion, but how excited grace still makes me. Oh!

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So let’s talk through this post. I called it “I know how you feel” for all those times people have told me that. I know how you feel, Lauren. And then they tell me about their breakup woes.

I used to get so annoyed by this. Of course, there are times I still do. How can you understand how I feel when you only dated him for 4 months? Or, how can you understand how I feel when you broke up with him? Or even, how can you know how I feel when you were married for him for 10 years – at least you got married! Or something childish like that.

The truth is, you do know how it is. You know how I feel. Rejection, pain, loneliness, abandonment, heartbreak – they’re all part of the human condition. Nearly everyone will face some sort of heartbreak like this. Probably everyone.

How dare I say You don’t understand! when I’m speaking to another human being? Of course you know – how could you not? How lucky would you be if you never experienced this pain.

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I mentioned grace at the beginning of this post, and I think I’ll bring us back there.

I am comforted by the words of my friends (once I started believing them): “I know how you feel.”

Those words are pretty much the center, the focal point of the Christian faith. Why did Christ come to earth? He wanted to experience what we experience – to cry and scream and have his heart ripped out just like mine – and say “I know how you feel.”

I love that.

I’m not alone – I never will be.

(Read a poem about this.)

December 23, 2011

Posted in Nonfiction, Poetry.