He gives me strength

   When I was a child I would get hurt. Playing on the playground, riding my bike, climbing a tree or making mud pies. We all remember making mud pies, right? It didn't matter what I was doing, I would get hurt. One time while I was delivering newspapers, the front tire of my bike skid in a patch of dirt. The front wheel totally spun around.......which means my handlebars rotated also. This wouldn't have been so bad, except there wasn't a protective covering on the handlebars. Just the metal pipe with the big hole in the middle. Wouldn't you know it, the front wheel turned, I sped out and fell. Falling isn't so bad, but it was the metal pipe/handlebar that made it even worse. It stuck me right in the throat. I swear if I were a boy and had an Adams Apple, it would have gotten lodged! Needles to say, I had a ring mark smack dab in the middle of my neck.
  I was by myself. I remember it hurt, I thought I was gushing blood from my neck. Wiping my hand across my neck I found I was not bleeding. Swallowing was difficult. So I picked myself up and finished the paper route. I was by myself, no one around, with a job to finish. And I finished it. When I was done, there was no one to applaud me, pat me on the back, tell me I did a good job. No one was proud of me for dusting the dirt off and continuing on. No one cared.
   There was a job that had to be done, and I was the one to do it. So I did. Come to think about it, I was doing this for a friend who was sick. Again..........no kudos to me.  But somewhere deep down I gained strength from this. Encouragement is good but not always necessary.
   Now, if no one is there to pat me on the back, I know God is there. He's quiet and steadfast. He encourages me without a word. He is my strength. With God, when I fall, I know that He's there to help me up again. Not just falling physically, but mentally, emotionally.
   He sees me through to the end, and when it is all said and done, He comforts me.
I am not alone.......I never was.

  
God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They're his people, he's their God. He'll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone." The Enthroned continued, "Look! I'm making everything new. Write it all down—each word dependable and accurate." Revelation 21:4 the Message Bible.