Tell it to someone who cares

Tell it to someone who cares.
How often have your heard those words spoken?  How often were they intended to warm your heart and give you confidence? Right! Most of the time, when you hear, “Tell it to someone who cares.” the literal meaning is, “Nobody cares.”  It hurts when nobody cares, especially when we’re hurting. Then there are times when ‘Nobody cares.” is a GOOD thing.
It’s Friday – let’s do a little comparison shopping down the Care Aisle.  Let’s put the heavy stuff in the bottom of the cart. What are some things that cause your heart to feel like a ball of mercury in your chest? Illness of a loved one or yourself, financial concerns, car trouble, broken relationships, lost jobs, too many commitments, flood damage, problems with co-workers, computer issues, children’s school performance, your own performance . . . heavy, heavy burdens. All those situations lying in the bottom of the cart are worrisome, real, and drag us down.  To these we don’t want to hear “Tell it to someone who cares.”  In fact, hearing those words would send us further into the abyss of despair.
Now let’s go down the Who Cares Aisle and dredge up a few items that react like helium in our chest instead of the heavy mercury.  You’re late to exercise class, forget to stamp a card and it comes back, wear one black sock and one blue sock, forget to comb your hair (or ‘gasp’ put on make-up), sing off key, find a typo in your personal blog (yah, like that never happens), run out of milk, run out of gas, totally forget an appointment, show up for an appointment two weeks early – and nobody cares!
See? It makes a difference when we hear, “Tell it to someone who cares.” For the heavy burdens, we need heavy lifters; we might need the backhoe and the dumpster too.  I once read this quote and even though I don’t remember where I got it, I have remembered it.  “Friends divide our sorrows and double our joy.” I don’t know if that’s it exactly, but that’s what I got out of it. I started reading the book of Luke because out of all the books in the Bible, it seems like Luke has the most stories with the happy endings. True, it has the most treasured Christmas story, but it has so many more truths than just the one about Christmas. Luke is a book of forgiveness, hope and happy endings.  If I had time right now I would outline some of the happy endings …. But here’s the thing – Tell it to someone who cares, means something when our difficulties and burdens are too heavy to bear.  First, take them to the cross and lay them down. Literally – stack them up. Take them one at a time; acknowledge, admit, define, vocalize … give it to someone who cares.  God cares and he gets to decide anyway so unburden and let it slide.  1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Seek out a trusted friend and talk through the trials – divide your sorrows. Sometimes the best therapy in the world comes from our friendships – that come to us free of charge.
Now about all those other things down the Who Cares Aisle. We all do things that seem at most devastating and at least embarrassing during the day. Believe me.  I’m not minimizing how demoralizing embarrassing moments can be. I’ve had many and know just how that feels.  Here’s the best advice anyone ever gave me about those things down the Who Cares Aisle. Learn to laugh at yourself. Admit mistakes, learn from them, and go on. Be the best bouncer on the planet and learn what it takes to bounce back after making a mistake. There is not a one-size-fits-all, but there is a one-attitude-fits-all.  Have an attitude of gratitude and start there. See if that helps make us better, not bitter.  See if gratitude changes the way you view the world today. Philippians 4:8-9 “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. —put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”