The Helper Needed Help Today,

Today has been an emotional day. Yesterday would have been my late wife Diane's 66th birthday. It's been eight years since I lost not only my wife but my best friend. I thought I had worked through so much of that grief. But last night it came back harder than I expected. I didn't sleep much. I felt lonely, emotional, and overwhelmed, and this morning I found myself asking God, (Why am I feeling this way again?) Then I started writing. And sometimes that's what we need to do. Instead of running from what we're feeling, we need to become quiet enough to look within ourselves, pray, and allow God to show us what's really happening in our hearts.

As I wrote, something became clearer. Maybe I wasn't grieving only Diane. I'm also going through a separation and facing the loss of another important relationship in my life. Over the years, I've lost my father and many friends as well. Then I realized that today is September 11. Seeing the headlines this morning reminded me of thousands of lives lost and countless families whose lives changed forever.

Maybe several kinds of grief simply collided in my heart at the same time. And then I remembered something about myself. When the 1989 earthquake struck the Santa Cruz Mountains, I was there in the middle of it. For days I helped wherever I could, putting out fires, helping people from their homes, and doing whatever needed to be done. That's always been part of who I am. I'm a helper. When somebody else is hurting, something inside me rises up. I can push through exhaustion, fear, and my own emotions because somebody needs me.

But today God reminded me of something: Sometimes the helper needs help too. So instead of pretending everything was fine, I reached out to some of my brothers in Christ and asked them to pray for me. That wasn't easy. Sometimes putting our feelings out there and admitting that we're hurting is harder than helping somebody else through their pain. But I did it. And as I sit here writing this, I'm feeling so much better. I'm tired because I barely slept last night, but my heart doesn't feel nearly as heavy. Maybe healing means that when grief does return, we recognize it. We stop running from it. We spend some time within ourselves. We bring it before God. And when necessary, we humble ourselves enough to ask others to pray with us. Scripture tells us: Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2 I've spent much of my life wanting to help carry other people's burdens.

Today I needed someone to help carry mine. If you're reading this and you're grieving somebody today, don't believe the lie that because years have passed you shouldn't hurt anymore. Don't believe you have to hide it. Get quiet. Write. Pray. Talk to God. And when you need to, reach out to somebody you trust and simply say, I need prayer today. You don't have to explain everything. God already knows.

Today I realized I hadn't stepped backward into grief. Maybe God was simply showing me another place in my heart that still needed His healing. The helper needed help today. And that's okay. 🙏❤️ Lord Jesus, help those of us carrying grief that nobody else can see. Give us the courage to bring our pain before You instead of hiding from it. Surround us with people who will pray when we don't have the strength or words to pray ourselves. Teach us to carry one another's burdens, and remind us that healing doesn't mean forgetting those we loved. Thank You for walking with us through every season of loss, love, grief, and restoration. In Jesus' name, Amen. p>September-Ministry-Update

September Ministry Update

Greetings from God's True Food Ministry,

We thank God for His continued guidance and provision throughout this month. We have been working to improve the God's True Food website so visitors can more easily access biblical health resources, ministry updates, and upcoming book releases.

We had a delays in July and August since the author broke his foot but now every is coming back to normal as he continues to heals and start to write again.

We continue making progress on future book projects and educational

Prayer Requests:

We would love to hear from you.

If you have a prayer request, ministry question, testimony, sponsorship inquiry, or would like more information about God's True Food Ministry, please contact us.

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and support. May God richly bless you and your family.

In Christ, Dennis M. West