Defeating Daily Despair Through Fellowship

As I’ve made a commitment to search for joy in Christ, I have tried to keep my eyes open to what could help lead to this end.  A scripture I used in my Sunday School lesson last week, John 15:9-12, and the demonstraion of a dear friend leads me to a conclusion today.  Certainly not the end all, be all conclusion of finding joy, but another step in a direction that I think the Lord may use to help me be a happier, more joyful person.

Discouragement happens when we least expect it.  Life throws us curve balls that we aren’t expecting.  It’s amazing how often we attempt to make plans and they are turned upside down and we have to be “flexible.”  I have found that life is less stressful when I “roll with the punches” instead of fighting against it.  Yet I am often prone to do so…to become engrossed in my own situations and often times fret, worry, and freeze.  I absolutely become paralized in fear if a situation can’t be beat into submission with my fists or mind.  I get trapped in my own absorbed thoughts.  Yet today, a brother in Christ gave me an example of what Christ told us to do in the scripture I mentioned before.   “Abide in my love, keep my commandments…These things I have spoken to you that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full….This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.“ 

Wes Ramsey, a good friend but someone I rarely talk to, called me today while I was at work just to say that he had been thinking about me and that he had a suspicion I may be feeling discouraged, but he also wanted to let me know to hang on, God is a big God, no matter what.  Wait on the Lord through these discouragements.  It was funny, I asked how he knew I was feeling this way, and I didn’t know who he was talking to.  He said he was just talking to the Holy Spirit.  Wow.  I have no doubts he was listening to the Holy Spirit, I was indeed feeling pretty discouraged, but he didn’t have to call.  He could have went right on praying for me without me ever knowing it, but he took it a step further.  He took some more action, and he called me to encourage me.  “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.“ 

Jesus says that my joy will be full when His joy remains in me.  And in order for His joy to remain in me, I have to remain in His love.  And to remain in His love I have to obey His commands.  And He commands us to love one another.  Like Wes loved me today.  So I got to thinking, it’s amazing how little I think about myself and my troubles when I’m doing for others, whether it be praying for them, helping them, calling them, getting fellowships together for them or just giving a word of encouragement to them.  I appreciate Wes, his Sunday School class who prays for EHBC in their search for a pastor, and I appreciate my brothers and sisters in Christ.  I believe I will make it more of a habit to tell them so more often.

Defeating Daily Despair….

The holiday season has ended….
The Christmas tree still stands without it’s trimmings because we just haven’t quite finished taking it down. The gingerbread house sits in an empty trashcan because Karen was sweet enough to take out the trash this morning. Otherwise it would have balanced precariously on an overflowing trashcan. I probably should have taken the whole colorful mess to the bin outside, but why? The kitchen trash was empty and was right there. Now the trashcan is full…because of the gingerbread house…sigh….I’ll take it out later.  These are the half made decisions of someone who is lazy, but in my head, I’m not lazy, I’m not this person that I see, not in my spirit, am I?

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” – James 5:16.  I want to be a righteous man who’s prayers avail much, so I confess my sins to my brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Since the holidays have ended, nearly every day I remember feeling dread when I wake up. That’s not right. As a Christian, that’s not the way it should be. The Word of God commands us to “rejoice always.” Jesus Himself says, “come to Me you who are weak and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  Well I feel heavy laden A LOT. I wear a lot of responsibility…at least I think I do.  I’m a manager over a warehouse, a leader in my church, I volunteer quite a bit, I do a lot for God, I love Him, He loves me and that’s why I do it.  So why do I dread?  Why do I fear?  It’s not right, something’s off and I know it.  Does this sound familiar?

This year I made quite a few resolutions and have absolutely not done a single one that I’ve said I would.  “Lose weight,” nope, thinking I may be going the opposite direction, but still working on it.  “Get organized,” my office looks like it has exploded.  Really, it’s embarrassing.  “Eat at the dinner table with the kids,” it’s the 10th, maybe I’ve eaten once with the family, hey I’m a busy guy.  Sound depressing?  It does to me. 

One new year resolution I want to keep:  STOP waking up afraid.  STOP dreading the life that is mine and that the Lord has blessed me with.  It isn’t right, and my fear is sin.  So I want to repent of that sin, I want to take steps to fix it, some might work, some might not, but the kingdom of God is at hand and I want to show works that show my repentance. 

Here’s just a few things I plan on doing to help accomplish this goal.

1.  Wake up and pray.  Pray for those who may feel like me when they wake up, my loving friends who right now find it hard to get up.  Let my first thoughts be GOD.  That’s GOD as in LORD GOD, not using his name in vain…even though I’m not a morning person.  Don’t forget the coffee.  Stop being so down on myself for not getting up earlier than I would have ever got up…I can start doing that when I’m old enough that my body just does it naturally.

2.  Remember to take my medicine.  The Lord blessed us with doctors for a reason, use what they recommend.  Luke was a doctor…I like Luke.  Lexapro is my friend.

3.  Read a devotion every day before I start work.  I have found “My Utmost For His Highest” to be perfect for this.  It doesn’t take long, but man, is it profound.  It MUST be done.

4.  Exercise more, ride the stationary bike when I get home for 20 minutes.  I asked the doctor once if there were any foods I could eat that would give the same chemical to my body that my antidepressants provide.  Remarkably, he said that exercise is really the only thing that releases seratonin, the chemical that the brain needs.  Wow!  Exercise!  I hate exercise!  But I don’t think God made our bodies to sit around all day long, so exercise it will be.

5.  Write this stuff down.  Someone told me I was pretty good at writing once, I think I’ll start doing it more.  Maybe write some progress in “defeating daily despair…”  I have a couple more thoughts about yesterday’s devotion on Psalm 139.  I’m so thankful the Lord knows me like He does.

6.  Read an uplifting devotional just before bed.  I firmly believe that Jesus Christ more than likely did a ton of laughing as a person, not like looney toon mind you, but as a person who people were comfortable around.  People followed him by the droves, would children have loved him if he was the sullen, quiet guy we see in the paintings all the time?

Well, it’s not a perfect list, but it’s there, and it’s a start.  Jesus said we could have life more abundantly.  I don’t think our wallets will be fat because of that verse, but I think our mental health should be.  I love the Lord so much, along with my family and my church family.  Life is to short to dread every day.  It is time to overcome and conquer.  To be a “glass half full” kind of guy – Deuteronomy 31:6.

When Peter Forgot Worship

Yesterday on the way to work, I heard the song “Voice of Truth” by Casting Crowns.  It reminded me of a time when the movie “Facing the Giants” had first come out.  The ideas both the movie and the song conveys helped me to meditate on Peter, as he stepped out of the boat towards the Lord Jesus Christ amidst a storm.  Isn’t it amazing how we can hear a sermon or a Sunday school lesson so many times but never get the point?  God uses Life experiences to drive home the lessons that will make us just a smidge more like Jesus.  Come to think of it, that’s how Jesus taught His disciples…through real life experiences, but that’s for another blog.

There are situations we dread aren’t there?  Situations come up in life that we fear, or that make us nervous, or we would just rather not face altogether.  These experiences may not always be the same for everyone.  Me admitting to my boss that I jacked a project up scares me to death, but to another person, admitting mistakes to their boss might just be another part of their job.  I hated the feeling of cowardice I felt when friends or family pressured me to ride an amusement park roller coaster; but someone else might just blow off the jeers and teasing and go ride the Himalaya without a second thought.  In Matthew 14:22-33, Peter and the apostles of Christ were all facing something they’d rather not deal with – a storm which threatened to sink them.

I tried to put myself into Peter’s sandals as wave after wave crashed into their boat, threatening to sink them.  Perhaps he is doing his best to secure a sail when he looks up and sees what he believes must be a ghost coming toward the boat on the surface of tempest waves.  Then the ghost shouts over the waves, “Do not be afraid!  It’s me, Jesus!” 

I don’t imagine Peter believed this at first, but he had seen great things from Jesus before.  Back on the shore he had just witnessed and helped Jesus Christ feed at least 5000 people with two fishes and 5 loaves of bread, he had never expected this miracle as he began to pass his basket of fish or bread on to the next hungry person, and the next, and the next, until he finally lost count and the laws of supply and demand were completely defied.  If Christ could do that, surely he could walk on water.  Peter decided it was worth his life to see if it truly was Jesus; he would rather be with Jesus, his master and teacher who he loved, then be in this boat, afraid of sinking.  “Lord!  If it really is you!  Tell me to come to you!”

“Come!”  Christ commanded.

Peter is thrilled!  It is the Lord!  I must be with Him, I must go to Him now!  He throws a leg over the stern of the boat and feels solidity under his toes.  He throws the other leg over and lands flat footed on a foamy wave dissipating into a larger sea.  His eyes fix on Jesus, and he begins to walk, one foot in front of the other into the darkness where only Jesus is. 

Peter’s teacher is out there, making this possible.  He is waiting for Peter to take his hand in fellowship, loving Peter so much because Peter trusted him enough to do the impossible – walk on water – just to be with Him.  Peter is worshiping God through this act of faith.

Then perhaps a wave slaps Peter in the face - cold, wet, and shocking - and he begins to examine his surroundings, looking distracted.  Peter looks down at his feet, among waves of darkness, he looks back and sees the boat which is being tossed like a toy in the water, waves continue to slap his body and fear suddenly grips his heart. Peter realizes he is no longer standing, he is sinking!  And like so many of us do when we realize we are in over our heads (whether we believe in God or not), Peter screams  ”Save me, Lord!”

And Jesus is there…

What would have happened if Peter would have made it to Christ, undistracted by the chaos about him and just desiring the satisfaction, pleasure and glory of Jesus?  We may never understand what we do so many times in our frantic attempt to observe and solve our problematic situations (or ordinary everyday situations for that matter).  We would be so much better off if we would just seek the solutions through the heart of our God; look for His pleasure because He is God and He loves us, and just wants our love in return.  What would happen if we found a solution and asked ourselves, “Would this please Jesus?  Is there another solution that would please Jesus even more?”  This glorifies Jesus, this magnifies His greatness:  When we take what seems big to us, and make it small through our love (our worship) for our bigger God.