How Badly Do You Hurt?

[excerpt from To Fly Again]
How Badly Do You Hurt?
There are many hurting, unhappy, discouraged people in our world today. They struggle with their little problems and failures, chasing after every flimsy hope that is held out to them whereby they might overcome and find relief from their personal fears, broken hearts, worries, guilt, and feelings of inadequacy. They buy self-help books, undergo counseling, and seek to discover some gimmick, someway of thinking or acting that will provide relief.                                                                         

        If you are one of these hurting people, the question is: Are you hurting enough to give up on yourself? Are you unhappy enough and miserable enough to turn away from yourself with all your problems and failures and seek relief in a relationship with the person of Jesus Christ? Many claim to be hurting but are really not hurting enough... Jesus is the answer and does provide help, relief, comfort, peace, and joy, but surrendering and giving up on self is a prerequisite... Are you willing to stop kicking? Are you willing to see all your little problems and unresolved conflicts, discouragements and disappointments, bad habits, negative attitudes, fault, and failures as being means whereby God is at work bringing you to the end of yourself? Are you willing to be nailed to the cross of Christ and buried in the waters of your baptism?