BROKEN BUT STILL STRONG

As I travel I meet many people and one thing I have noticed is the large amount of hurting men I meet everywhere I go. They smile, act tough and they never seem to mind lending a helping hand when they can but, they are hurting.

Most men are use to the idea of "I Have To Appear Strong" or else My Wife, My Children or My Friends will see me as chicken or just plain weak. So most men put on this hard outer appearance that says "Hey everybody, I'm Super Strong and nothing ever hurts me". Yet, there's really a lot going on inside. Many times it's things that stem from childhood that they never got over or sometimes a relationship that hit him all to hard and broke him, or even the loss of a loved one that he never got over. Whatever it was, it broke him.

Now outside, most broken men look really strong. Many of them are in sports or some kind of job that calls for strength beyond the norm. For example, they may play Professional Football, be a Pro wrestler, play in the NBA, maybe a Firefighter or even a Cop. In these cases, there is really no place for weakness. Being on top of your game is a must at all times no matter how you feel or what you feel or why you feel. So these guys get use to simply being as strong in the public eye as possible. The only problem is, They are in the public eye 99.9 per cent of the time and that leaves no time to really deal with the brokenness that want leave them alone.

Imagine being on the football field every week before millions of fans and you got to come up no matter what just happened in your life. Maybe you found out that your wife was fooling around with your best friend, or your baby you thought was yours well, Isn't...It hurts beyond words but your fans are looking for you to score. They are depending on you as well as your team and coach. Or maybe you're a fire fighter, you got to save someone's kid while your wife walks away with yours.

These kinds of things are happening all over and there are millions of very BROKEN but yet, very STRONG MEN.

My story today is dedicated to these guys who have lived and keep living through the very worst of times. LIFE HIT THEM and without hesitation, they hit life right back and kept going. Maybe you are reading this and you're one of these broken strong men I'm talking about. My friend, you're not alone, and I for one boldly say THANK YOU for all you do and have done to help our world keep turning. I may not know you personally, but I know pain, I know Hurt and Disappointment. I Over-stand where you are and I care about what you're going through and dealing with. I pray that you read this little story and find strength and healing and maybe even enough joy to pull yourself up from the dust once again. Being in pain IS NOT your intended place. It came and now it must pass...

I know you're not Peter Pan, but it's time for you to pull from your HAPPY THOUGHTS. Rather it is thoughts of your dad taking you fishing, your grandfather walking with you in the field, your grandmother baking you cookie's or your mom simply rubbing your head and saying "everything is gonna be alright". You're gonna get through this my new friend and one day you will look back and ask, "How in the world did I get through that?".

Over the years I've learned that The Strength of a Man is not in his arms, legs or body make up, it's in his heart. The heart of a man tells who he really is and what he's truly all about. His very character is shaped by the contents of his heart. The Bible says that "with the heart, man believe" but it's often very hard to believe with a broken heart. So, healing must by high demand take it's rightful place. You can no longer remain broken, hurt and discouraged.

Sometimes, the miracle is simply caring about someone else other than your self. Where ever you are, look around you...Someone is hurting, just behind their smile there is pain like you wouldn't believe. Take a minute to say hello, give them a smile or a kind word, you would be surprised at just how powerful this little simple act can be to a hurting strong man.

Apostle Cash