Escape: An inclination to retreat from unpleasant realities through diversion or fantasy 

We all are trying to escape from something. 

Work. Finances. Bad family situations. Even our own minds. 

Everyone is trying to find a way to escape, find something else to think about to keep them occupied so they don't have to think about it, anything to take away the stress and numb the pain. 

And we all have something that we escape too. 

When it gets to be too much to even think, what do we turn to? 

TV. Social Media. Anything to make us forget. Anything to distract us.

Sometimes we escape to other things so much that we forget to feel.
You become less aware of your pain, but that's not because it isn't there.
It's there.

"I'm fine... Just tired."

Ever heard those words?
Ever said those words?

Those are the words of a person who has an aching in their soul so painful that they can't bear to face it or themselves. So they cover up their pain-filled eyes with fake smiles and tell you that they're fine and everything is normal and they're just tired.

Those are the words of someone who is trying to hide and pretend like everything is perfectly normal when in fact, they are broken and struggling, just like we all are. The world is so full of faces with fake smiles and empty words and eyes on the brink of tears. How can we see past somebody's fake reassurance that they are doing just fine and see how truly broken they are?

Eyes are the window to the soul. I heard once that if you look into someone's eyes for the first five seconds that they look at you, the truth of what they're feeling shines through for just a brief instant before it flickers away and fades into that guarded stare once again. How can we break down those walls to help those who are struggling, and how can we break down our own walls that we have built so that others can help us? 

It's truly heart breaking, how there are so many sad eyes on happy faces.
So many empty, meaningless words.
So much heartbreak and pain.

How did we get here?
When did we cross the gulf as a people, a nation, as individuals?

Telling people that you're doing just fine when you really aren't is like crying 'peace, peace,' when there is no peace. It's all the things that we turn to to escape our painful and broken reality. It's all the things that help us to not feel. Escape is all the things that tell us 'peace, peace!' when deep down we're a mess.

Numbing the pain for a while will only make it worse when you finally feel it.
Eventually we will run out of things to turn to, and then when we do we will be forced to face ourselves. What will we do in that day when our escapes, our methods of medicating ourselves so that we can stop feeling the pain disappear? How will we cope then? What will we turn to?

Turn to your Father. 
He is the only one who can heal the ache in your soul.
Lift your eyes to the maker of heaven and earth and let His love heal your brokenness.

We are turning to all the wrong things.
When nothing is right we have to turn to God.
We can't keep putting on a front and tell everyone that there is nothing wrong at all. All you have to do is look into the eyes of someone speaking those words to you and see the reservoirs of pain and torment that they are going through for those five seconds before the emotion fades from their eyes and is replaced by that perfect, practiced smile.

Stop putting on the facade!
Be real.
Be honest.
And above all, turn to your Father and nothing else... No escaping. No trying to numb the pain. No trying to just survive each passing day.

Let God be your hope.
Let God heal you.
Let God take away your pain.

In the end, despite all our efforts and all the hope we place in empty, worthless forms of escape, God is the only one who can really give us peace. Turn to Him, and nothing else.