Down In The Dumpities
Posted by:
Bible Blogger on
March 26, 2007 at
11:57AM EST
I was reading a post by a subscriber to this blog and they were talking
about how they felt depressed because they weren't happy in Christ.
They talked about how they know a Christian is supposed to be happy and
smiling and always eager to show the joy they have in Christ.
They were having some problems in life and it was making them feel less
than joyful. They were praying and giving it to God as we should but
they still felt the weight of the problems as they were facing the
trials. As this weight was upon them they began to feel even worse
that they were being a poor witness for Christ. It went on and on ...
They were, as Mr. Harriman once said on Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, "all down in the dumpities."
This is for that subscriber and for all of you that feel the same way. (Myself included sometimes.)
""I have told you these
things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have
trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."" - John 16:33 (NIV)
Jesus himself said that we will have troubles in this world. Those
troubles can be anything that causes us to feel depressed, stressed,
worried or worn out. They could be financial, physical, relational or
spiritual. They will always be around...and you know part of the
reason why?
"Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." - 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)
Satan is always running around trying to make things difficult for the
believer. Why? You're his enemy and you will always be his enemy
because you belong to God. Attacks will NEVER end until you get to
heaven because as long as you're breathing and not in heaven with our
Lord you're potentially someone who can cause damage to Satan's plan by
presenting Christ to someone who might (gasp!) accept Christ and become
an enemy of Satan.
Add on to that our own fallen flesh and the thoughts that come into our
head from things we've done to program our brains and you can see
there's no shortage of ways we could have things that cause anguish.
"But BB," you say aloud to your computer monitor, "didn't Jesus say we
should take heart because he's overcome the world?" Of course he did.
However, "take heart" to me doesn't mean running around with a happy
happy joy joy attitude all the time.
"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)
If Christians never felt down, if they never felt depressed and if they
never felt the weight of the world on their shoulders then there would
be no need for a verse like the quote from Thessalonians. Why do you
think the Bible tells us that we need to encourage each other? God
knows we face problems. Jesus talked about them. The Holy Spirit
comes along to comfort us in those times. There are also God's "hands
and feet"...you and me...that can provide large amounts of comfort just
by being there.
Encouragement is a large part of the Christian walk and if you don't
have Christian brothers and sisters around you...or ones that are
willing to listen to the Lord's leading...then you'll have times where
you feel depressed, weighted down or think you have nowhere to turn.
(You'll have those times even with strong Christian brothers and
sisters around but you'll then also know where you can turn.)
This is NOT a sin. This is just a result of your fallen flesh.
There's nothing you can really do about those feelings when they come
to you unless you're sitting there asking for God to put you in a deep
depression. Recognize these times are going to happen, pray to God but
also look to your Christian brothers and sisters for encouragement. Be
open and honest...tell them you're struggling so they can pray and help
you. Don't be too proud to accept their help or support. Lay yourself
bare before them and you'll find these trying times get just a little
easier.
I know all of you are an encouragement to me even though you rarely
leave comments or messages on the blog. I see how many people read the
blog each day and how many people are subscribed to it. Just your
simple act of checking in with this blog every day encourages me when I
feel tired or depressed or frustrated. I want to thank all of you for
that. I hope that I can be an encouragement to you along with making
you quite mad and challenging you sometimes. If you ever need prayer,
just send me a message and I will be praying for you.
God bless all of you. Have a blessed week.
