Encouragement 4 The Day :“Strong At the Broken Places”

In reading an article by Martha Beck I came across a quote by Hemingway “The world breaks everyone, and afterward many are strong at the broken places.” Oh I love the power and the lyrical beauty of a well spoken thought!

In going through struggles and in fighting depression, we tend to adopt an almost a fatalist point of view. We literally cannot see the forest for the trees but remember: NOTHING lasts forever!

I’m also learning to put things in perspective (one of my favorite words). When I consider the fact that one day this world will end a weird thing happens. It then makes no sense for me to get upset about bills, failures, and disappointments…you think I’m joking but it really works. Try it when you’re late for an appointment or you’re embarrassed about a mistake. Remind yourself that this world is only temporary and see what happens. Trivial things no longer become inflated disasters.

I don’t care what it is that you’re going through- at some point, it will end and if you endure, you will discover that you are indeed stronger at those broken places.

Encouragement 4 The Day: "Where is God when I Hurt?"

As I surfed the internet today I came across a profound statement that literally slapped me across the face. It’s funny how words, phrases or sentences can take the same idea or principle and give it a whole new meaning. Indeed, the written word is a powerful tool and should therefore be used wisely and with great caution.

So what was it that I read? Here it is from the website http://www.becauseofgod.com/theme_devotions_for_women/where_is_God_when_I_hurt_part_2.html 

“When you think and feel things like, “I am hurting so much but I don’t feel God’s presence!  It is hard for me to think of Him much less pray to Him in my hurt!  I feel He has deserted me because He doesn’t seem to answer my cry for help!”  You need to understand (if you don’t already know) that from a psychological and physical standpoint, when you hurt your mind doesn’t think very clearly, because your mind is mentally trying to handle the pain. Your emotions are screaming pain and hurt so it isn’t easy to feel anything but what you are experiencing. When you are suffering, anxiety and depression can also weigh on your feelings and outlook on life. So when you feel like He isn’t there when you are suffering, you need to realize no matter how you feel He is with you!”

How absolutely profound! I knew that when someone was in a depressed state or going through extreme mental or emotional anguish situations ‘appear’ to be worse than they actually are. I’ve experienced that so frequently…something that may not bother me when I’m happy will cause me to bite someone’s head off when I’m sad or depressed. BUT, it never occurred to me to link that with my feelings of abandonment by God. It’s empowering when you can cognitively recognize that what you’re feeling is not factual but a symptom of your emotional state. Subsequently, I further understood why loving God and your fellow man should not be based upon feeling but based upon choice-in other words, loving with your head in addition to your heart.

So if you’re feeling as if God has abandoned you-He hasn’t. If you feel as if it won’t ever get better-IT WILL. Recognize that these feelings of despair are symptoms of your pain and just as your body can heal so can your mind and your soul. This too shall pass!

Rest if you must but DO NOT QUIT!

Encouragement 4 The Day-"Fair-Weathered Friends"

“After Job prayed for his friends, the Lord gave him success again. The Lord gave Job twice as much as he owned before. Job’s brothers and sisters came to his house, along with everyone who had known him before, and they all ate with him there. They comforted him and made him feel better about the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave Job a piece of silver and a gold ring.” Job42:10-11 NCV

I think you know where I’m going with this post considering the title-right? Where were all these family members and friends when Job was in the midst of his crisis? Not a one is mentioned (except his suicide advocating wife and his [3+1] self righteous friends).

Are you going through a crisis and there is no-one to turn to? Have the friends who promised to ‘have your back’ all disappeared and maybe family members are offering nothing but criticism?

“…I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Joshua 1:5 NIV

“Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.” Psalm 146:3 NIV

Remember:

·         You are not the only one who has been deserted by those you love- they also deserted Christ.

AND

·         You are not alone- “As God was with Job, He is also with you.”

Encouragement 4 The Day-"When Life Hurts!"

There are some days when it’s so difficult just to lift your head off of your pillow. Unless you’ve experienced the thrashing of depression you just won’t understand how that emotional ache translates into palpable physical pain and fatigue. Sometimes you just cannot pinpoint exactly why you’re unhappy (if you could- you would do something about it); you just know that it’s a HUGE struggle to find joy.

For  Christians although it should be easier (as we are advised to lean on Christ), it can actually be even more difficult as we try to abstain from those things that would harm the body ,mind or spirit but things which tend to hopefully provide a temporary release from pain. I’m referring to the mind numbing drugs such as narcotics and alcohol, for those of us not married engaging in a sexual relationship or other behaviors distancing us from Christ. So what then do we turn to?

More than anything, I’ve found because of my introverted personality, that music considerably eases the ache inside of my soul. There is something about hearing a beautiful piece of music that even in my darkest throes of depression I find myself happy to be alive just to hear it sung or played. One artist in particular comes to mind and that’s Dax Johnson. His music, in my opinion, reveals the heart of a beautiful soul and I just want to share one of his pieces with you today. May it help to ease your heart and bring a smile to your face. R.I.P. Dax … love you even though I’ve never met you.

Encouragement 4 The Day-"When God answers a question with one of His Own."

Aside from turning Job’s focus away from himself, I never understood why God answered Job in the manner in which He did when He finally decided to acknowledge his cries. I felt as if He (God) was being rather hateful, arrogant and unsympathetic towards Job’s plight. Did Job not have the right to ask “Why?” Here was a man who had been careful not to sin, petitioned before God everyday for his children, befriended the poor and less fortunate and not only was his behind being kicked up one street and down the next, but his friends were harassing him with their accusations. Job held out for seven days and after the seventh day he wanted to die. Not only was he in emotional pain, but he was suffering physically and spiritually because he could not find God. If there ever was a hell on earth…this was it!

Still, when God finally answered Job He seemingly lashed out. Now don’t get me wrong. God being God had every right to retaliate but here again, I could not reconcile this reaction with the painted picture of a loving parent and a child. After all, how many of us sinful parents, if a child cried out in pain, would not acknowledge them and when we finally did, would not then lovingly answer as to why we’d taken so long to respond. Only the sadist personality would react unkindly…so why this seemingly unkind reaction from God?

The answer in my opinion lies in Job’s reaction to this onslaught of questions. He HUMBLES himself! Me? I probably would have flared up with self-righteousness indignation and begin rattling off the reasons why I DID NOT deserve this treatment. But Job, he humbled himself. I would love to hypothesize that God responded in this manner to establish yet another example for us-that Job still loved Him even though the very nature of His response could have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. How like a child…that rare humility.

Unless you become like little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of God. (Matthew 18:3)

“May God, instill in us the desire to become more childlike…always loving, always forgiving. In Jesus’ name-Amen”

Encouragement 4 The Day-"Self Pity Will Sink You Every Time"

My personality when you consider the personality temperaments: Choleric, Melancholy, Sanguine and Phlegmatic, is strongly Melancholy then a bit of Choleric and Phlegmatic. Subsequently, for most of my life I have been prone to depressive tendencies. For those of you battling depression, you would understand that this personality trait lends to a miserable existence both for you and those around you.  Battling one of those periods prompted me to pick up a book at the library called: “How to Win Over DEPRESSION” BY Tim LaHaye and it certainly has been a very interesting read thus far. While I didn’t agree with everything written he made some very precise points which prompted me literally STOP and THINK.

One of the points made which I didn’t agree with was when Dr. LaHaye, in relating self pity to depression called self-pity sin. As with some of the other persons mentioned in the book, I too bristled when he had the nerve to state that the primary cause of depression was self pity. WHAT NERVE I thought and promptly after a few more painful attempts to continue reading skipped that chapter (yes I did). In fact, I got so annoyed that I put the book down but had to stop and think: Why was this bothering me so much? It’s one thing to disagree, but to become so annoyed warranted further examination.

Encouragement 4 The Day-"Breathe!"

Breathe

Doubled over

Hard to breathe

Struggling to survive.

With one deep breath~

You just might make it.

But life strikes you again,

and again, and again.

You’re down,

The count is on

Your head is covered.

The pain …so intense.

You’re no longer fighting.

Not much fight left.

Then suddenly the beating stops.

You can’t say when …

But the pain subsides.

Your chest expands and

You Breathe.

Hang on.

                                                  J.Y.M

Encouragement 4 The Day-"Light Chasing Darkness"

Light Chasing Darkness

Do you see where the sun goes when it sets?

And as darkness chases it beneath the horizon

Do you question its return?

Life is like that…

Darkness chasing light, light chasing darkness

Each one never final.

Though you cannot see the sun

Still you trust that it is there.

And if you can do that…

Believe.

That even through this darkness in your life,

Your sun waits

Just below the horizon.

                         
                                                           J.Y.M