I know someone…

I know someone who is doing great.

Someone has an exceptional family, a great job, a nice house, and life really couldn’t get much better for him. The world around him may be tumultuous, but this someone seems to make it through unscathed. Everyone knows his name, he's got a million friends. He finds joy knowing God has provided him with so much—things that many others wish they had. He isn’t conceited or prideful, just thankful. He enjoys the picture-perfect life. Others may struggle, he is doing great. Someone is #blessed. And he knows it. 

I know someone who is doing okay.

If perfection is a 10, someone feels more like a 5. It isn’t horrible, but it isn’t what he hoped. Work is good, but it isn’t quite what he dreamed. Life isn't as fulfilling and meaningful as he thought it should be. He feels he’s not living up to his potential, and it frustrates him. This someone knows he ought to be overjoyed with what he has in life, but it all just feels kind of bland. The potential others saw in him in his youth, he doesn’t find realized now in adulthood. The voices that once said, “You’re going to be somebody!” he wonders if now silently say, “You could’ve been somebody.” He hasn’t thrown in the towel yet; things could still turn around. He knows that God’s not finished with him yet. Just a work in progress, and what he is today will hopefully not be the same 5, 10, 20 years from now. He’s not great, but someone is doing okay.

I know someone who is not okay. 

Someone is in trouble. He feels hopelessly alone. Surrounded by a million people who all care about him, he can’t see it. The sun may be shining, but someone only sees cloudy skies. It may not be raining yet, but he already hears the thunder. In a sea of struggles that rage in him and around him, the waves are threatening to overtake him. Someone hasn't been pulled under quite yet, but he isn't sure how much longer he can keep treading water. He can’t stop. He won’t quit. He won’t give up. I fear though that he just might give out. Someone is not okay.   

You may can relate. Maybe you are one of those someones. Depending on what day it is, you may relate to more than one. Today, you might be great—top the world—and then tomorrow, rock bottom. The same is true with all those around us. We never really know how people are like just below the surface.

Here is the good news: for each someone, I can point to Psalm 34 to offer encouragement and strength. Verses 8-18 say:

O taste and see that the Lord is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
⁹ O fear the Lord, you His saints;
For to those who fear Him there is no want.
¹⁰ The young lions do lack and suffer hunger;
But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.
¹¹ Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
¹² Who is the man who desires life
And loves length of days that he may see good?
¹³ Keep your tongue from evil
And your lips from speaking deceit.
¹⁴ Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.

¹⁵ The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
And His ears are open to their cry.
¹⁶ The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
To cut off the memory of them from the earth.
¹⁷ The righteous cry, and the Lord hears
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
¹⁸ The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

God is with someone who is doing great, when he is experiencing the blessings of God and the Lord’s goodness on full display. The Lord is with someone who is only doing okay, too - constantly providing assurance of His presence. He walks the road with them, encouraging and leading them to those places of joy ahead. God is also very much with someone who is not okay - crushed in spirit and in need of help. He provides rescue and healing. He provides the strength necessary to keep pushing forward, even when things are difficult. In seasons of joy and in seasons of struggle, every time someone needs Him, the Lord is there. And that, my friends, is good news for every someone.

Someone needs to remember today that God is with you. He loves you. He cares for you. He's got you.

I know someone.

I am someone.

Maybe you’re someone, too.

This reflection comes from the same pastoral burden that shaped a longer devotional work I’ve recently released. I’m deeply grateful for those of you who have walked this journey with me and helped shape these words along the way. Learn more here