You Are Loved

So about a year or so ago, I was going through one of my bleakest moments ever. I was driving back from a friend's house and was thinking about how completely unloved and alone I felt. It's been an incredible journey, these past 10 years here in California, and it's sometimes difficult to believe how far I've actually come.
I was reflecting on poor decisions I've made, friends I've lost touch with along the way, and thinking that if I were to die, no one would ever notice it. As I said, one of my bleaker outlook moments in life. Anyways, it was silent in my car; for once, I didn't have the blaring radio to quiet my thoughts. So as I'm thinking about this, and thinking of how hopeless I felt, I got the inexplicable feeling to turn on the radio. A station (one that I never listened to) suddenly popped into my head (I know how crazy it sounds) but it's all true. So I turned to that station and all of a sudden, a sad mellow tune from a piano caught my attention. Everyone who knows me well knows that I have always held a soft spot in my heart for anyone who can play and the hair on my arm stood up. I felt as though I NEEDED to listen to this song. And these were the first words I heard:
"Don't give up. It's just the weight of the world when your heart's heavy, I will lift it for you. Don't give up, because you want to be heard ... if silence keeps you, I will break it for you."
Even now as I write this, the hairs on my arm again stand up and I am overtaken by the powerful effect that these words had on me the first time I heard Josh Groban (didn't even know who that was, had to look it up) sing it. As if reading my thoughts in an innermost part of my heart, he continued,
"Everybody wants to be understood...well I can hear you. Everybody wants to be loved. Don't give up...because you are loved."
It sounds cheesy, but those words meant something to me. If there is a God, then he was clearly sending me a message loud and clear.
So I just wanted to offer up a little hope for all those people out there who are suffering in some way, who are lost or are hurting, or feel as I did then, that no one cared for me.
"It's just the hurt that you hide, when you're lost inside ... I'll be there to find you ... Don't give up because you want to burn bright. If darkness blinds you, I will shine to guide you ... don't give up."
I don't know the bigger plan or what lies ahead in our futures. I don't know who will fall or who will continue onward. I don't know if I'll ever find what I'm looking for or a safe place to rest and a good heart to place my trust in. But I do know that no matter how difficult things are, if we truly listen, listen to the messages we are given, we'll discover the path, the way, the light.
We all lose our way sometimes in this journey we call life. Everyone feels lost sometimes, everyone wants to give up. No matter what you are going through, don't give up. Remember: you are loved.