I have borrowed blogs before
from Emma Scrivener, author of A New Name, because what she has written, I can
relate to and also believe others needs to hear it, especially those of us who
are struggling to get through life everyday as we live with chronic illnesses,
mental health problems, jobs we hate, relationship problems etc. But we need to
remember we are not on our own, we have Jesus beside us, walking life with us.
So how do we keep going?
11) It’s not about having faith in yourself or a
general sense that things will work out ok. It’s about a concrete faith in the
living Lord Jesus and the rock-solid promise that He will finish what He has
started.
2) Having this faith does not mean you always feel
it. You can love and trust the Lord but still be mired in deep depression. You
can cling to His promises and still have doubts. What you feel is NOT who you
are. You died and were raised with Jesus. Fact – not feeling.
3)
Another fact: feelings matter, (even if they’re
not always trustworthy). They’re part of who God has made us and all of them
(even the “bad” ones) are good. Anger can be righteous. Anxiety can become
compassion. Fear can be prudence. And even if they’re completely unrighteous,
we shouldn’t deny their existence either. We listen to them, weep or laugh at
them as appropriate and most of all we speak to them with Bible truths and pray
them to a Father who wants a heart to heart.
4)
Don’t go it alone. The Holy Spirit is not our
wing-man, on standby for absolute emergencies. He’s taken up permanent
residence in us: because we need Him for every breath. All the stuff that’s
whirring round your head and doesn’t know where to go? Pray it. The boiler, the
refugee crisis, the bills, the dog. Whether it’s a leisurely four-course chat
or an espresso “help!” He gift wraps our words and carries them straight to the
top.
5)
Don’t go it alone. Church is family. It doesn’t
matter if you’re introvert or extrovert; we’re made to depend on one other –
and there are no exceptions, (me and you included!). If your temptation is to
carry everyone else, then allow yourself to be carried. But remember that even
(and especially) in our suffering, we can bless others too. That doesn’t mean
signing up for every rota when you’re feeling burnt out. It does mean remembering that as Jesus
comforts us, we comfort others - and part of how He redeems these bad times is
by putting you with others who are facing the same things.
6)
Which
brings us to no.6: you are not alone, (yes a variation on 4+5 but if you’re
like me, and you need to hear it from different angles). Tempted to despair? Jesus cried, “Why have you abandoned
me?” Feeling bullied and persecuted? He
was hounded to a cross. Estranged from your family and loved ones? His own town
rejected Him. Desperate and overwhelmed? He cried out, “Is there any other
way?” Whatever our struggle, He gets it. He does not condemn us. He gently
leads us out. This doesn’t mean that our circumstances will change, (though
they might). It does mean that He’ll give us strength to stand up under them.
7)
“Everything” does not need to happen immediately. You don’t have to turn your life around
when you’re struggling to get out of bed. You don’t have to run an empire when
washing your hair overwhelms you. The corporate world will keep turning. The
washing and the shopping and the emails can wait. The perfect you? Forget
it. Do what you can with now and know
that this is enough.
8)
God’s not about replacing us, but renewing
what’s there. So don’t you dare despise yourself? Hate your sin, sure, but not
yourself. And don’t put limits on what He can see and what He can do. “Impossible?
Miraculous?” Absolutely. That’s
what He does. That’s what He’s doing.
(Whether you feel it or not!)
What did I learn from this
blog post? I am not alone and slow down!
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