The Tribune

By Rev Angela Bosfield Palacious

WE live in a time of great emotional turmoil and confusion. There are so many people who feel completely lost. Let me share with you some thoughts written by another young woman entitled, Confessions of a Lost Girl: "I wish I could understand why at times I feel so lost and empty. Why does my mind betray me by obsessing over things I myself cannot control. All I want, all I seek for is peace, a peaceful heart, and soul.

"Some days I just want to crawl inside myself and never come out. This world is so harsh, every time I feel like I've grasped a piece of happiness, there is always a negative to follow.

"I want to be free from worry, to be able to sustain my family without having to pinch, scrape and struggle. Maybe I don't pray enough, maybe I don't talk to the Father enough. How is it possible to be in a world with billions of people and feel so alone? Why I am I haunted by the lack that some of us endure while others have more than enough or even too much.

"I worry night and day about my sons, their future, and their well-being. Am I doing enough to prepare them for this cold world? I ache if I am unable to provide for them, I want so much to give them a life where they want for nothing. What do I do with these cards I was dealt?

"I feel like an orphan, some days I want to call my parents and tell them life is getting on top of me, but I can't. My mother doesn't like me and my father is a grown boy, what solace can I find there? I myself, function as a woman, work, parenthood, relationships but deep down inside of me I'm a lost girl.

"I'm often asked why I'm so cold, why I don't show, although I'm not entirely sure why, I can say that I feel like something is missing inside me that I'm still searching for. Most of my childhood I can't seem to remember, or maybe I've blocked it out. Those missing memories may be the key to unlocking this mystery."

Are these familiar feelings? Do you know anyone who seems to be lost as well?

By the grace of God, we have been found by our Lord, the Good Shepherd, who is always looking for us to bring us home. We have a heavenly Father so none of us is an orphan, and we are invited to join the family of the church.

We also have to get the news out that there is a place in the Kingdom, and a plan for our lives. We have to go looking for the lost ourselves. We have so many lost souls who need the Lord.

If you are not able or willing to be directly involved in one-on-one or small group relationships, then pray for those who are hurting and angry, or who have made unwise choices:

1. There are persons in Detox unit at Sandilands and in various drug programs who are trying to find their way out of addiction.

2. There are those in the correctional facilities who are hoping to return to society and find their rightful place, and others who need their hearts softened to want to give up a life of crime and violence.

3. There are those in hospital, various institutions, or who are sick at home, who need our prayers for recovery or peaceful, pain-free death.

4. There are those in tumultuous relationships who need to enjoy harmony in their home.

5. There are those who are lonely, sad, rejected, betrayed, abused and any number of other afflictions.

6. There are victims of the various natural disasters that have devastated our region who do not know where and how to begin to recover.

You may add to the list those who come to your mind.

Let them know there is hope. Our God is a loving, forgiving, healing, miracle working God. Share your experiences and stay with them in solidarity unless they realize that they have been found.