"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" - I Peter 1:3-4
Christians are supposed to be a happy lot. always smiling, always cheerful. Turning cheeks wherever we go. Smurfily dancing and "la-la"ing through the oversized flower garden of life. (Unless you try to touch our guns, or states rights, or individual rights, or national pride, or whatever else little niche we deem so important that our Christianity is used as it's proof, to the point where the niche is more important that the Christianity...these we guard like a Bengal Tiger over a fresh kill!)
OK, my sarcasm is on a roll here. But Christians are expected, by the world, to be happy. And we do have reason to be. So why are there days when I feel dead inside?
(In God's usual sense of humor, the moment I wrote those words, an ice cream truck was at the office, and there were freebies for everyone!)
The question still remains though. There are times when life seems overwhelming. Multiple pressures from all directions hammer us into a battered, broken pulp. Those times when it seems the only thing pulling us through the day is the end of it. When we look down, face in our hands, and cry "How long, O Lord, how long?"
The trick, it seems, is not to look down for too long. I'm not saying to ignore what's around you; that would be a lie. Even David knew "A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand", but he also knew "but it will not come near you". (Psalms 91:7) He could cry out, saying "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1) then "Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me". (Psalm 23:4)
What kind of faith can produce such hope? It seems like just wishful thinking. Can it be because the hope is not in our own selves, but in someone else? Not a relic of history, but in the living, breathing presence of Jesus? In the power of Almighty Father God? In the omnipresent Holy Spirit, with and among us? It is a LIVING HOPE, that carries us when we no longer have strength. Urges us on when we do. Our hope is not an impersonal ideal, not a platitude or gimmick. It is Jesus, the Christ, living presence of God. He is alive. And in His arms, in His love, so are we.
So, even when all seems lost we "press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Jesus Christ." (Philippians 3:14) And when we're hanging off a cliff and at the end of our rope, don't bother looking into the chasm below, but look up to the one pulling us out!
Showing posts with label depression. Show all posts
Showing posts with label depression. Show all posts
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Friday, April 7, 2017
I think I'll just sleep in...
"Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. Open the eyes of my heart.
I want to see you. I want to see you." - Paul Baloche
"Stand by me. Oh, stand by me.
Oh, won't you please, stand by me." - Ben E. King
"Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world." - Jesus
You know, some days it's just hard to see the good. those days when the debate of getting out of bed or just staying put with the covers up are real. Those days it feels like you've been put on the crazy mouse ride by force, with out a safety bar. Maybe it's just me, but some days, facing the world is tough, and running seems a viable option.
That's where the verse in John's gospel always comes back to me. (Sometimes sooner, sometime later, depending on how much I resist!)
"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart. I have overcome the world." John 16:33 (ESV)
The trouble with fighting tribulation, is that in the midst of the fight, there is no end in sight. the greatest weapon in tribulations arsenal is the despair of failure. But this verse says there is an end. The tribulation in the world, whether global, national, local or personal, HAS BEEN OVERCOME. There is nothing the world can throw at you that Jesus has not overcome. Notice, He's not taking it away, necessarily, but assures you there is an end, you will win, and He's there with you to see you through.
As a person who sometimes can be depressed, I have clung to this verse like a security blanket. Does that sound weak? It's not. Jesus begs us to lean on Him, remove our burdens to take on His (Matt. 11:29-30). Rest in Him, and follow where He leads, even if the going is rough. (Ps. 23) In a time and a world that can be more than overwhelming, it is good to know that our guide, our savior, our Lord, our Jesus, has overcome.
I want to see you. I want to see you." - Paul Baloche
"Stand by me. Oh, stand by me.
Oh, won't you please, stand by me." - Ben E. King
"Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world." - Jesus
You know, some days it's just hard to see the good. those days when the debate of getting out of bed or just staying put with the covers up are real. Those days it feels like you've been put on the crazy mouse ride by force, with out a safety bar. Maybe it's just me, but some days, facing the world is tough, and running seems a viable option.
That's where the verse in John's gospel always comes back to me. (Sometimes sooner, sometime later, depending on how much I resist!)
"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart. I have overcome the world." John 16:33 (ESV)
The trouble with fighting tribulation, is that in the midst of the fight, there is no end in sight. the greatest weapon in tribulations arsenal is the despair of failure. But this verse says there is an end. The tribulation in the world, whether global, national, local or personal, HAS BEEN OVERCOME. There is nothing the world can throw at you that Jesus has not overcome. Notice, He's not taking it away, necessarily, but assures you there is an end, you will win, and He's there with you to see you through.
As a person who sometimes can be depressed, I have clung to this verse like a security blanket. Does that sound weak? It's not. Jesus begs us to lean on Him, remove our burdens to take on His (Matt. 11:29-30). Rest in Him, and follow where He leads, even if the going is rough. (Ps. 23) In a time and a world that can be more than overwhelming, it is good to know that our guide, our savior, our Lord, our Jesus, has overcome.
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