October 23, 2018

God is With You

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. – Psalm 34:18

There’s a sadness about him. He’s solemn. The twinkle is gone from his eyes. His heart has learned what his mind always knew: The things of this world are only temporary. Only God is forever.

The things I always thought would be there are gone, he told me. Hurricane Michael showed no compassion, no sympathy, no mercy as it attacked. It was gone within hours of the initial onslaught. The scars – both on the land and the people who live there – will last forever.

How do you even begin to heal? There’s nothing to rebuild. It’s all rubble and fallen trees. Everywhere you look is devastation. It’s hard to make out where specific landmarks once stood. It’s just that bad.

And then, as you struggle to cope with what has happened, you hear that three linemen have died. They were mowed down by a man now charged with DUI. They were doing something good. They were working to restore power to people who have been without for more than two weeks. They were helping others and they died because of it.

How does it all make sense? We know that God will turn all things to our good and His glory if we’ll just turn it over to Him. But it’s hard to see good right now. It’s difficult to believe anything could ever be alright again. The weight of all that’s happened causes a burden in our souls.

I wonder how God felt when Jesus hung on the cross. It was necessary to save us but have you ever considered what it cost Him? That was His Son! And think about Jesus. He knew what was coming. He agonized over it. He pleaded for another way even as He surrendered His will to God the Father.

And, yet, we tell ourselves God doesn’t understand. We demand that Jesus fix what is broken on the outside, brushing past His offer to fix what is broken on the inside.

That’s where the healing begins. It’s on the inside. It’s choosing to look at the good in something that is too awful to bear. It’s that flicker of hope that lets light into the darkness.

It’s noticing how people are coming together to help those in need. It’s remembering what’s important in life. It’s noticing the beautiful sunrise or the healing touch of a gentle rain.

It’s remembering that no matter how alone we might feel, God never leaves us alone. It’s knowing that when we don’t know the way, God is right beside us telling us which way to go. It’s believing that even though we don’t know how life will ever be okay again, God has promised to provide good things for us.

Deep sadness changes us. We become stronger, our roots of faith, growing deeper into the strength of His Presence. But we are never the same.

My dear friend will one day be happy again. He will smile. His laughter and dry wit will return. But he’ll carry the sorrow of today deep inside. That’s where compassion takes root. In the years to come, he’ll understand the agony of someone else’s pain and he’ll be able to reach out in empathy. It’s the good that comes from the bad.

I don’t know your story but I do know this: God is with you, no matter where you are or what you’re going through. When everything else collapses around you, count on that. God will never let you down.

September 11, 2018

Stop the Bullying

You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror.

– Psalm 10:17-18

I didn’t know her but I think I would have liked her. Artistic. Sweet. Different. And dead. Because of the relentlessness of bullies.

No one helped. No one. Did anyone even notice? Did they brush off the threats she found in her locker? Did they ignore the laughter when her words didn’t come out quite right? Did they read the Facebook posts that bashed her again and again?

It’s too late to bring her back but it’s not too late to change ourselves. It’s not too late to make sure that this doesn’t happen to anyone else ever again.

Those who made threats and posted ugliness on social media are guilty. Those who looked the other way are guilty too. Bullies are after attention and power. Why do you let them have it?

I know. Some bullies are trying to cover up an abusive home or inability to do the school work. Some bullies are hurting and they’re lashing out, trying to control what they can. It’s not an excuse. There is no excuse. It’s just a desperate attempt to understand horrific cruelty.

What can a victim do? Most people, including parents, school administrators and teachers, don’t want to get involved. We don’t want to defend the least. We don’t want the bully to turn his or her attention toward us. We remain silent. What is wrong with us?

This week is National Suicide Prevention Week. Ironic, isn’t it? Or maybe not. Maybe her death will open the eyes of all of us, both the victims and those who bully them.

If you are a victim, tell someone you trust. Just do it. Don’t suffer in silence. If you’re in that black hole of despair, reach out. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline number is 1-800-273-8255. There are people willing to help 24/7. Sometimes having someone who understands, who’s willing to listen as you cry, can make all the difference.

But don’t give up. Just don’t. Don’t allow those bullies to steal your unique self from this world. God created each of us. We are made in His image. We are meant to be different and special and loved. You have a unique calling on your life. Don’t give up.

I understand how hard those dark days can be. I know what it feels like to think you can’t make it through another hour. Hold on anyway. Cry out to Jesus. Cling tightly to His Word. Reach out.

I know. I said that before but it’s just so true. All it takes is one person to throw you a lifeline. There are some pretty awful people in this world. But there are some pretty amazing people in this world too. Find one.

And if you’re part of the problem, stop it. Don’t hang out with people who think bullying is okay. Get involved in a church youth group. Attend a Bible study. Surround yourself with people filled with kindness and compassion. Ask God to help you change into a person worthy of His calling on your life.

Bullying will only stop when we stand firm against it. And suicide will only end when we care enough to get involved, to notice, to lend a hand. She was only 16. What a heartbreaking loss for all of us.

June 6, 2018

Clothe Yourself in Kindness

The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” – 1 Kings 19:7

Kate Spade died yesterday of an apparent suicide. It was the lead story on the news. Everyone – meaning those acquaintances who thought they knew her – seem shocked. How could this vibrant, colorful and talented woman be in such despair that she would take her own life?

Those closest to her say they saw the signs. Did they push for her to get medical help? Did she refuse? What were the circumstances that led her to this? We want to know all the juicy details. It is none of our business. None of that will change what happened or in any way comfort her family and close friends.

God tells us that if give bad things to Him, He will turn them to good. Will we do that in this situation? Will we look around us and see beyond the veneer of the people closest to us? Will we extend kindness and compassion to everyone? Will we stop boxing people in and realize that everyone hurts and cries and feels sad sometimes?

We have become such a fake people. It’s all about appearances. We really don’t want to know the bad stuff, unless it’s juicy enough for a gossip fest. We don’t want to be bothered with hurting people. We’ve got our own issues. We just want people to be who we expect them to be and save the bad feelings for some other time. So we end up with struggling people who keep it all inside.

The National Center for Health Statistics says that from 1999 through 2014, the age-adjusted suicide rate in the United States increased 24 percent, from 10.5 to 13.0 per 100,000 population, with the pace of increase greater after 2006.

The National Institute of Mental Health reports that in 2016 an estimated 16.2 million adults in the United States had at least one major depressive episode. This number represented 6.7 percent of all U.S. Adults. And, I might add, those were only the depressive episodes that were reported.

And we wonder why violence is on the rise. All that unhappiness has to go somewhere. If it doesn’t have an acceptable outlet, such as therapy, it will find another way to express itself. Is it okay? Absolutely not! But what are we going to do about it?

There is no quick fix when it comes to depression, suicide, bi-polar disorder and any number of other mental illnesses. That’s what they are: Illnesses. Just because you can’t see them, doesn’t mean they aren’t real. They are debilitating. They can attack the strongest people, those who seemingly have everything anyone could want.

Despite what you may hear or read, there aren’t any quick fixes. Depression can come from biology. Did you know that? Serotonin levels, for example. Does exercise help? Yes. Does eating healthy help? Yes. Will spending time with God help? Yes. Will any of those things bring immediate relief? No. Unless, of course, God chooses to provide a miracle.

There’s a Facebook thing that gets passed around periodically. It reminds us that we don’t know what another person is going through so just be kind to everyone. It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Why, then, is it so hard?

People are hurting out there folks. Love them. Just love them. Stop judging and pointing fingers and pronouncing curses on them because you don’t agree with their lifestyles or their political views or whatever it is you have a problem with. Just love them. That’s what Jesus would do. It’s what He told us to do. So just do it.

March 18, 2016

God Cares For The Depressed

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb the mountain of God. -- 1 Kings 19:3-8


Are depressed people self-centered and selfish? That question came up in conversation the other day. It’s a touchy topic and one with intense ramifications if it is judged wrongly.

The short answer: Most depressed people are not self-centered or selfish. There are some, I’m sure, who use depression to manipulate others and focus attention on themselves. I’ve rarely met one but it is possible.

Most depressed people are living in a black hole. That’s why they can’t see anyone but themselves. Think about it like this: When the power goes out and everything is pitch black around you, what do you see? Nothing. That’s how it is for someone suffering from depression.

There are many causes of depression. Some cases are caused by events and some are caused by physical issues, such as low serotonin. It is frequently a combination of things and sometimes takes many doctors and therapists working together with the patient to unravel what is really going on.

I get so upset when someone assumes the person can just “get over it” because that just isn’t true. Nor does depression indicate a lack of faith. Depression is an illness, just like heart disease or diabetes. And it can kill. Never, ever brush that fact aside. When someone talks about suicide, take it seriously. They’ve likely decided that those they love will be better off without them.

This passage of Scripture always reminds me of how God cares for people who are so weary that they have given up. God would never brush someone aside or tell them to just “get over it.” God cares for His children. So should we.

I hope you never suffer from depression. I also hope you never have a loved one with this dreaded disease. In some ways, I think that is even worse. But know that God walks with us on this journey. When depression hits, He is there.

March 14, 2016

God Can Make A Way

See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.

-- Isaiah 43:19

Sometimes life throws you a curveball and you don’t know what to do or how life will ever be alright again. It’s in those times when we remember that God can make a way when we can’t see a way.

I told a wonderful young man that at church yesterday. His heart is broken. His wife has attempted suicide three times. The last time she was finally hospitalized but she’s home again. Still depressed. Still refusing to do anything that might help herself. Oh, and did I mention, she isn’t a believer.

I’m not sure how someone who doesn’t believe in Jesus Christ, who doesn’t embrace the hope and salvation He offers, can make it. But I do know Jesus touches hearts through His Spirit. I know that He speaks works we cannot hear. And He hears our heart’s anguish cry when we don’t know what to say or ask.

It’s really impossible to help someone who doesn’t want to be helped. He has tried to help his wife. Her mother is in from out of town and has tried to help her daughter. Doctors have tried to help. No one can reach her. Her two teenage sons are devastated. How much stress can one family take?

Quite a bit. I’ve learned that the hard way. But I’ve also learned that God is there when emotional devastation surrounds you. He carries you when you can’t take one more step. He comforts you when the pain seeks to destroy you. God knows what you need when you don’t know how you’ll even get through the next moment.

When I reminded him that God can make a way when we can‘t see a way, he gave me a half smile. He had walked outside on that beautiful Sunday morning and sensed God telling him that exact same thing. Then believe it. Hold on to that. God is sending you a message.

Too often we give up because we can’t see how life could ever be any different than it is right in that moment. Sometimes we are so focused on what we think we want that we don’t realize God has something way better planned for us. He will make a way and it will be the best way. Embrace it. Trust it. As hard as this season is, God’s got this.

December 28, 2014

Don't Give Up

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

-- 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Her funeral was yesterday. She left behind two children, a husband and many other family members. Cancer didn't claim her life. Nor did a car accident or any other misfortune. She took her own life. She was only 35.

No one saw it coming. At least that's what friends tell me. She was an active parent. A giving person who taught and gave of herself to others. She and her husband were having trouble. She was staying at her brother's house. But she had such a deep faith, they insisted. No on saw this coming.

I didn't know his woman. I don't know her heart or her circumstances. But I do know quite a bit about depression and faith and trying to hang on when it seems the only relief is a one-way ticket to heaven.

First, let me remind everyone that depression is an illness. It's not something you can shake off or just get over. Sometimes depression stems from a traumatic event. Other times it is a physiological condition, a serotonin imbalance. Often, it's a combination of the two that creates a perfect storm. Think of it as a cancer of the soul that eats away at self-worth and hope that tomorrow will dawn a better day.

Next, let's just be clear about depression: It is not about being rational. It's not about punishing someone else. It's a deep emotional suffering that is impossible to explain unless you've been there.

I wish she had known enough to cry out to Jesus. He would have saved her from herself. I wish she had reached out to someone around her. Maybe she did. Depression makes us uncomfortable. Suicide horrifies us to the point that we don't want to talk about it. We brush it aside. We laugh off comments that in hindsight were clear indicators that someone desperately needed help.

Sometimes you can do everything right and the person you love still ends it all. It's devastating. You keep asking yourself what you could have done different, better, more thoroughly. But it's an illness that doesn't always have a cure. Forgive yourself and forgive the one you lost.

Faith doesn't mean we're immune to depression. Look at Elijah. (1 Kings 19) God will minister to us -- if we'll let Him.

So if you know someone who is going through a tough time, pay attention. Listen. Don't try to fix the person. That's for God. Just be there. And don't hesitate to call in professional help. That call could save a life.

This woman gave up. She had so much to live for and in that moment of deep distress, she gave up. She was only 35.

November 2, 2014

God Cares For Us

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. -- 1 Kings 19:3-5a

Some seasons of life are just tough. It seems as though life keeps throwing darts and, well, they hurt. Every time you think things are about to change for the better, something else happens and down you go -- again. Have you ever been there?

During this difficult season there are always ample people around to criticize you and to blame you for everything that has gone wrong. Sick? You should have taken better care of yourself. Unemployed? You should have realized your company was downsizing. Divorce? You should have married smarter or worked harder. The list goes on and on. People love to pile it on when you're already down.

I'm so thankful that God doesn't do that. I love the story of Elijah. This prophet was strong and committed to God. Until one day he'd just had one thing too many dumped on him. He fell apart. Anyone who has ever fell into that dark pit can relate. Many of us can be so strong in the fire, then we just collapse when it's all over. We're just done. That's where Elijah found himself.

God could have chastised him. He could have given Elijah a pep talk and sent him on his way. Instead, God sent an angel to minister to his servant. When he was strengthened, then God spoke to Elijah. I believe that God is that way with us. When life has worn us down and we feel we can't go on, God doesn't punish us for being tired. He cares for us, loves us, will welcome us into His loving embrace. God will strengthen us until we can go on again, turning darkness into light.

I am so grateful to know that when the world is crashing down all around me, God doesn't join the crowd.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Do You See The Lonely?

She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” -- Genesis 16:13

Being invisible is one of the loneliest things we could ever experience. When no one sees us, we appear worthless, unimportant, unnecessary. That can destroy a person’s soul.

How hard it must have been for Hagar. She was a servant girl, given by her mistress to that woman’s husband so that she would have children for the mistress. It wasn’t uncommon in those days. But, oh, what heartbreak!

So she ran away. She was tired of being treated badly. Can you relate to that? I sure can. But God sent an angel to speak with her, to send her back, to promise that life would not always be so.

God didn’t call her to something easy. Submitting to a woman who treats you badly isn’t easy. Being treated as property -- which women and servants were in early Biblical times -- is demeaning. And yet she went back. Because God saw her, recognized her pain, and cared for her.

We don’t know anyone like that. Or do we? Do we see the people around us? Do we recognize the hurting, the lost, the alone? Are you sure? Are you really, really sure?

A childhood friend contacted me a while back. She moved away long ago but her mother still lives in our hometown. She mentioned how depressed the older woman had been. She goes to church (a different church from the one I attend) but she feels so alone. With all her family having moved away, she has no one to sit with during worship service. Oh, she’s surrounded by people. It’s a large church. But there’s no one that knows her name and seeks her out. She is just another face in a sea of faces.

This dear woman told my friend that if she suddenly stopped attending church she was certain no one would notice. Even in her Sunday school class, she’s just another body. That is so very sad.

Our church has a program that reaches out to people just like that. The only struggle is locating all who need a friendly face, and sometimes a helping hand, amidst all our attendees. We don’t want anyone to fall through the cracks. But it’s hard to locate the invisible.

That’s where people like you and me come in. God puts us in contact with people who need a friendly face, a kind word, a place to belong. But we have to do our part. We have to open our eyes to see them. And then we have to reach out as Jesus would do and show them kindness and compassion, friendship and God’s love.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Cry Out To God

Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. -- Psalm 142:6

The Scriptures are filled with anguished cries from God’s people. He always hears. He always answers. He always saves.

We forget that sometimes.

Wednesday a man decided to take his own life, leaving his wife and children anguished and struggling to understand. There was no note. No obvious reason. Nothing that seemed to be a trigger. Just a decision that cannot be undone and grief that is beyond comprehension.

No one knows the demons that lie deep within us -- except for our Creator. God knows our deepest thoughts. He knows our paralyzing hurts. He understands how desperate despair can sometimes seem.

I know a thing or two about depression. It is not fun. Nor is it something easily talked about. People look down on you, expecting that if you truly wanted to you could just snap out of it. They don’t understand suicide. In a way, I’m glad they’ve never experienced something so awful.

None of that will comfort this family. They will survive not just one day at a time, but one moment at a time. They are surrounded by friends and their church family. They will draw strength from the God who loves them and will reign down mercy on them.

My strength comes from God. Period. There have been moments when all I could do was cry out His name, trusting that the Holy Spirit would somehow translate my thoughts and feelings to the Great Healer. I’m convinced that’s the only reason I’m alive today. God gives me hope when I have none left to give myself.

Several years ago I overheard a radio talk show host say that depression is selfish. I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t. Perhaps there was more to the conversation than what I heard but just that statement still makes me cringe. How could a Christian counselor say such a thing?

Depression -- something that is very real and very debilitating -- exists in the Bible. Look at Elijah. He wanted to die. Instead, God sent him angels to care for him and strengthen him until Elijah could once again face life. That’s a wonderful example of how God cares for those suffering from depression.

I pray that all those who suffer from depression will feel God’s love and know that when all seems lost, when hope is gone, when there seems no way out, there is a God who will hold us up and strengthen us until we can stand on our own again. Suicide isn’t the answer. God is the answer. Every time. No matter how deep the despair. Cry out to God and let Him hold you in His loving arms and heal the darkness that lies deep inside.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Cling To The Light

“They hate the light because they want to sin in the darkness. They stay away from the light for fear their sins will be exposed and they will be punished.” -- John 3:20

Sometimes the weight of the pain threatens to crush my very soul. Darkness bears down on me, taking away my very breath. I can’t imagine surviving the moment, let alone the endless moments yet to come.

I cry out to God and He hears me. His voice comforts me, strengthening my soul. His peace washes over me and calms me. Light rushes through me and I know that, once again, I will survive.

Some people have horrible memories that haunt them every day. Some experiences are so traumatic, so heartbreaking, that they change you forever. They force us to learn how dark a human soul can become and how bitter the taste on an innocent human being.

Other people live daily with abuse. It could be a spouse who uses his/her tongue as a whip. It could be a boss who does the same. It might be parents or siblings or, in the case of the elderly, a child who abuses a helpless parent.

It’s easy to say “get over it.” Perhaps it’s even easier to say “just leave.” But life isn’t so simple and options are sometimes not available. God never promised to keep us from bad experiences, from hatred and greed and abuse. He did promise to be with us through it all.

We are to honor those around us, particularly family members. That’s what the Bible and the preachers tell us. But for some that means honoring their abusers and that was never part of God‘s plan. How quick we judge what the darkness hides.

Jesus came so that we might have light to free us from the darkness that threatens our souls. We cling to it, to a Savior who came and will come again. But some days the darkness threatens us and we worry if it will consume us, reducing us to nothing more than what it claims we are.

The darkness tells us we are alone, suffering with no way out. Yet Jesus says to do what is right, to refuse the lure of darkness, to trust Him. And I do. How about you? Do you trust Jesus to carry you through the darkness and back into the light?

Jesus came to save us from the evil that lurks in the darkness. All we have to do is cry out to Him and there He is. Don’t suffer in silence anymore. Speak up. Cry out. Cling to the One who

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Hold On To Hope and Joy

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. -- 1 Peter 5:8

Palm Sunday is a day filled with hope and promise. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, something Zechariah had proclaimed. The disciples, the followers of Jesus, did not know or understand that this triumphant entry would soon be replaced with deep sorrow and pain.

That’s how Satan works. He comes upon us when we are least expecting his presence and he tries to steal our joy, our happiness, our peace. Peter warns us to be wary, watchful, wise.

It’s just so easy to focus on what’s wrong in our lives rather than what is good. A woman is slowly getting her health back after suffering from a serious condition. She’ll always have the condition but she is now mobile and able to do most of what she wants to do. That’s a long way from not being able to stand by herself or even pour herself a glass of sweet tea.

But instead of focusing on her recovery, she is obsessing over what she can no longer do. It is so frustrating. There is no joy in her life because she refuses to see the good. And that makes everyone around her miserable. I’ve no doubt that Satan is cheering her on.

A dear man has been slowly reaching what we laughingly refer to as the twilight years of our lives. He cherishes card games and time with friends and family. Then he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and given only a few months to live. He is angry and bitter, on tranquilizers for the depression that haunts his every waking moment.

I pray that he’ll find peace, and soon. His friends have rallied and his pastors are regular visitors and counselors. It is a hard road and I am not making light of it. Nor am I claiming to understand how he feels. I only know that anger and bitterness will rob him of the joy and peace he could experience during these months he has left on earth. Satan wants it that way.

In our lives many times we face circumstances we can not change. We can either be joyful where we are, giving God glory and total control of our lives, or we can let Satan rob us of God’s peace and strength. It isn’t always easy. I fail repeatedly to reach that moment where, as Paul says, I can be content in all circumstances. But I’m trying every day.

What about you? Are you choosing to be joyful or are you letting Satan have his way with your life? Today is all about hope and promise. Grasp it firmly and don’t let Satan take it away from you.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

God’s Light Penetrates Darkness

I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night -- but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are both alike to you. -- Psalm 139:11-12

The woman smiled brightly at the world. She seemed happy, carefree, full of life. Except the brightness never reached her eyes. The vibrant blue was clouded in sorrow and despair. I worked with her for a number of years. It never changed.

She was an adult who’d been cast aside by her family when she rejected their cult. I call it a cult because even though they professed to know and love Jesus, He had no part in their mind games. This young women had been sexually molested throughout her childhood. Her parents knew and refused to intervene. When she became an adult, she left them. The scars she carried with her.

Oh, she’d seen a number of doctors. She was on anti-depressants and participated in weekly talk therapy. But she couldn’t shake the past. She couldn’t believe herself worthy of anything but the labels her family had pinned on her: demon, jezebel, worthless.

They had denied her self-worth when she was vulnerable and without a champion. And, as an adult, she carried that with her. She couldn’t seem to separate the wonderful person she was from the child who’d suffered at the hands of people who preached the gospel in public and lived as Satan in private.

I wish she’d reached out to God but she couldn’t seen to separate God from her abusers. She couldn’t understand a God who would allow such horror to happen to her. She couldn’t believe that He loved her and still allowed such awful things to take place.

How can any of us ever understand or explain what happens in this fallen world? We know that God is all-powerful and can save us from all evil. But the truth is usually He doesn’t intervene in the choices we make, even when the choices of a few destroy those around them. Instead, God takes what is horrible and turns it into something good. If we let Him.

God would have offered her a safe haven, a healing touch, a way out of the darkness. He waited for her to cry out to Him but she never did. At least in the years I knew her. She preferred to pretend that everything was okay. That she was fine. That the past was where it belonged.

Until the day she didn’t show up for work. I called a mutual friend, who found her suffering the effects of too many pills washed down by alcohol. Our friend walked her around and kept her awake for hours. Why didn’t the friend call an ambulance? Why not make a fuss?

I called her doctor the next day. I know. I was sticking my nose in someone else’s struggle. I don’t know if she ever received the peace she deserved. I do know she never forgave me for making the call. I’d do it again. I just wanted her to live. And she just wanted the pain to end.

We forget sometimes that darkness can never, ever hide God’s light. When we’re in the midst of something so horrific, so bleak, so unyielding that we can’t see our way out, God can and will provide the light if we’ll only call out to Him. It takes a lot of courage. It takes hitting rock bottom and admitting that you’re there. It’s not easy but sometimes calling to God from the darkness is the only way to make it back to the light. I sometimes wonder if she ever figured that out.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Turn To God

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,’ he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”

-- 1 Kings 19:3-4

  Elijah was tired and discouraged. Sure, he’d had victories. But Jezebel had promised to kill him. The constant struggle no doubt weighed on him. Sometimes you just need a day off. A day free from worry and headaches and demands. A day to sleep in and recharge yourself.

That’s basically what Elijah got from God. The next verses tell us that an angel of the LORD woke Elijah and told him to eat and drink because “the journey is too much for you.” God didn’t chastise His servant. God comforted Elijah, He provided him with nourishment and, later, a priceless gift. Because God came to Elijah and spoke with him, encouraged him, gave him advice.

It’s hard sometimes to see God in the darkness that accompanies discouragement and fatigue. It’s difficult to believe that life might ever be better. That you’ll ever be strong enough to handle the never-ending demands. That the criticism and knocks don’t have to define who you are.

Always remember that you are never alone in that dismal place. God never leaves you. He doesn’t berate you or criticize you or call you selfish because you’re too tired to pretend anymore. He comes to you wherever you are and strengthens you.

So when you feel like you can’t face another day and that there will never be a better tomorrow, take it to God. Ask Him to help you and strengthen you and guide you. He will. Every time.

Saturday, August 21. 2010

Hope Clings To God

"Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." -- Psalm 42:5

Hope is most alive in the midst of helplessness. That was the word that came from David Jeremiah as I traveled toward Plant Lake, Florida, yesterday.

It's a subject that touches my heart for numerous reasons. We all talk about hope. We hope in what we can not see. We believe in what we can not touch. We reach toward what others deny. We cling to hope when the world around us shatters. Hope. That very real desire and belief that something we want will happen. That our lives can recover from the disaster that surrounds us.

When life is going fine we have no need for hope. We have what we want. We're basically happy. It is when something or someone destroys our world that we cling to hope in the midst of our pain.

I was thrilled to hear Jeremiah defend those who suffer from depression. Some preachers insist that depression comes from sin. If you want to get rid of depression, get rid of the sin in your life. I once heard a christian counselor on a radio talk show say depression is nothing more than selfishness. I was -- and am -- appalled. I just prayed that no one truly in the midst of depression heard him. It scares me that this man is a christian counselor. He could do such damage because of his misguided views, turning people away from the hope God offers instead of offering them a life-saving rock.

But getting back to Jeremiah. He talked about Moses and Elijah and David, among others. All these suffered from severe depression at some point. When we read their stories, we hear the anguish of these people that God used for His purpose.

As Christians, we can't ignore the very real pain and suffering of those around us. Doing so only pushes people who need God away from Him. We can offer them hope by telling them the stories of Joseph and Daniel, Jeremiah said. We can let people suffering from depression know that God is with us in the valleys of life. He carries us when we don't have the strength to go forward. He can turn the most tragic events into good.

It is when darkness closes in around us, when despair it etched in every fiber of our being, that a kernel of hope can spring up. With God's loving hand that hope can grow stronger and stronger each day, until the light completely destroys the darkness. Hope. Such power in a four-letter word.

...God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

1 John 1:5

How quickly life and circumstances can change. My friend began her week as she usually did. She taught Sunday school. She laughed with friends. She cared for her children and grandchildren. Two days later she kept vigil at the hospital as her daughter began her journey toward death.

People ask why. How could she, they demanded to know. Two children. A mother and sisters who adored her. Yet she chose to end her life, distraught in the very real belief that all those who loved her so desperately would be better off without her presence.

I kept my silence. How can anyone who has not suffered deep depression understand the darkness that invades the mind of the sufferer? It isn't something you can shrug off. It isn't something you can toughen up and face. It is an agony beyond explanation. It is an inability to see the light of Jesus and the hope He offers to us all. It is failure to grasp the promise that as His children He will give us strength and healing.

Her illness momentarily separated her from her heavenly father. But she is no doubt singing in the heavenly choir praising Him just as she did in the bright days of her life. As those she left behind struggle to move forward, they draw comfort from that even as they struggle to understand.