Where do you go to put your pain?

We were just coming to the end of our Street Pastor shift on one of Derby's estates on Saturday night when we came upon Mike (name changed) He was slumped against the rubbish bin gazing down the road while drinking his beer. "Who the F...are you lot" and suddenly he recognised one of the Street Pastors as a former boss who his brother had worked for.

We began to talk more and it transpired that he had been invalided out of the Army following injury in a bomb blast in Afhganistan. he then began to tell his story of life since his return it was like listening to the film "Born on the fourth of July" Struggling to reintigrate into family life, relational breakdown from his partner, loss of access of the kids because of anger issues. Times of heavy drinking all the signs and symptoms of unresolved guilt and post traumatic stress disorder.

It felt like re running the film of my life after Northern Ireland the uncontrollable rage, the drinking, relational break down instability on every front. Then the survivour guilt at people who have died and you suvived. Suddenly we had a 20 stone man weeping on the street as he shared his life. He turned to us and said it's like you are the first people who have ever lsitened to me. I then shared my story of PTSD and Northern Ireland and the journey into healing I had been on since comingto faith in Christ. We offerred to help him and he said at last someone understands me and what I'm going through.

So I would appreciate your prayers this week as we go to meet and listen some more and hopefully sensitively share with Mick some help.

We had another case of a guy who was lying bloodied in the gutter in the Market Place in Derby on Saturday night again his inner agony at losing a friend to Cancer erupted in rage and we were called to calm him down at 1.00 am as we bathed his wounds and cleaned him up and listened to him the truth came out and finally he cried............ so as we hugged this hulk of a man and let him get the pain out I believe Jesus was touching his life....

Jesus said come to me all who are weary and I will give you rest.. We live in a world of pain and Christ comes in our sufferring to meet us and show us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

If you are in pain today never forget that Isaiah 53 says surely he carried our pain.. he still carries it today.