Wednesday, May1, 2019

BENJI Good Morning, I’m Benji Riddle – Director of Youth Ministries at Central United Methodist. Loss is an emotion and feeling that can sometimes be incredibly difficult to weather. It is on this day, May first - sometimes called May Day, that I am most personally aware of this, as it marks the anniversary of the passing of my father 22 years ago. Among pilots, May Day is a distress call, a signal of a dire emergency, and losing my dad on this day, of all days, left me feeling in distress, discouraged, alone. But let me tell you, I soon saw that I wasn’t alone. My church surrounded me with support, even when I didn’t initially receive it. When I turned to God with anger, I was met only with love and comfort. I found peace in the words of Psalm 147, where it talks about the greatness and power of God, but also this: “ God heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.” You are not alone in your hardship, you have never been alone, and you are and will always be, loved by the God who made you.