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You have not seen Christ, but still you love him. You cannot see him now, but you believe in him. So you are filled with a joy that cannot be explained, a joy full of glory. 1 Peter 1:8 (NCV)
S.A.D.-Seasonal Affective Disorder-by definition it’s a type of depression that comes on people generally at a certain time of the year, usually fall. For those of us in the northern climates it’s usually caused by long nights and short days in which there may be no sunshine at all.
There’s another kind of S.A.D. that attacks us as well. Call it Spiritual Affective Disorder. If you are a Christ-follower and you’ve been walking the journey for a while you are all too familiar with this type of S.A.D. Those times when you feel emotionally and spiritually spent. You try to pray but can’t. You force yourself to read the Bible but the letters and words are just a pattern on the page with no meaning and no ‘inspiration’.
Sometimes this type of S.A.D. can be so severe it causes you to lose faith. At least for awhile. Is this all really worth it? Maybe banging your head on a wall would be more helpful! Maybe going out and getting drunk or finding a new partner or making some drastic changes in lifestyle will help.
Then you stop short. “What am I thinking?” you ask yourself. Those things won’t make the problems go away. In fact they make it worse.
So what is the answer to avoiding or curing Spiritual Affective Disorder? The cure for the physical version of S.A.D. is prolonged periods of sunshine. The cure for Spiritual Affective Disorder is walking in the SONshine.
The Apostle Peter is writing to a bunch of new believers in Christ. They were living in dangerous political times. Their lives were threatened on a daily basis and many had even lost their lives due to their faith.
Peter says “You haven’t seen Christ, but your very belief in him should bring you great joy”. In a sense Peter is saying; don’t look at the struggles around you. Don’t focus on how bad things are. Focus on Jesus. Keep him in view and the troubles of life will be less threatening.
Who but Peter would know what it was like to see Jesus? He was writing to people who hadn’t had the opportunity to see Jesus on a daily basis. He was writing to a people who hadn’t had the benefit of seeing Jesus on the mount of transfiguration. He was writing to a people who had never felt the water under their feet as they walked across a lake to meet Jesus.
Peter knew something each of us should remember. Keep your focus on Jesus. Only he will give you a joy that no one can understand. Step into the SONshine and stop being S.A.D.!
PRAYER: Dear Jesus. I remember you saying you would walk with me through the storms and gloom of life. At times it’s hard to see the SONshine due to heavy clouds of concern and worry. Empower me with your spirit to see through the fog so that I can have the joy only you can give. Amen.
Do not be bitter or angry or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others. Never do anything evil. Ephesians 4:31 (CEV)
A few years back now a building was constructed on a vacant lot near where I worked. Shortly after its completion, people in the building complained about headaches, bad smells and frequent illnesses. Further investigation showed that somehow in the construction process black mold had begun to grow.
Efforts to solve the problem were fruitless and within just a couple years of its completion the health department was forced to condemn the building. It was demolished and turned into a parking lot!
Bitterness is like the black mold in that building. It can go unnoticed for a period of time. It grows in places we don’t think to look. It can start growing at the slightest infraction.
Bitterness can happen when a friend says one small thing that we take the wrong way. It can happen when some guy we don’t even know cuts us off on the interstate or a co-worker is using the copier and we are in a hurry to get something copied. It happens in churches when the pastor makes a comment or preaches a sermon that steps on a few toes.
It doesn’t matter where bitterness starts, if bitterness goes unchecked it can be a relationship breaker. Bitterness launches a two-pronged attack on our relationships. First of all, like black mold it eats away at us on the inside. It robs us of our joy, our self-esteem and our ability to be intimate with people. We sink further inward and become angry. Our lives are motivated by a judgmental and critical spirit. Bitterness not only destroys families and friendships, it can destroy your health.
If caught in time, there are ways to stop or at least lessen the results of black mold in a building before it becomes uninhabitable. If caught in time the effects of bitterness can be removed and relationships prevented or restored.
The first step to making sure bitterness isn’t a part of your life is to identify the real reason for your bitterness. Many times the things that cause bitterness in our soul can be traced to things that attack our view of ourselves. Take whatever it is to Jesus.
Remember you are God’s special creation. Nothing that comes into your life happens for without a reason. God allows things that can cause bitterness to come into our lives to help us grow stronger, not to destroy us.
Lastly, ask forgiveness for your angry and bitter spirit. Begin today to rid your life of those dark corners of anger and bitterness that can destroy relationships around you.
PRAYER: Father God, lately I find myself getting angry over the smallest things. I blame others, say things I don’t mean to say and push people I love away. Please help me see what it really is that is making me so bitter. Forgive me for my anger. Empower me with your spirit to avoid bitterness and repair damaged or broken relationships. In your name I pray, Amen.
Lord God All-Powerful, who is like you? Lord, you are powerful and completely trustworthy. Psalm 89:8 (NCV)
Have you ever thought about how many times a day we ‘trust’ without giving it a second thought? When you get out of bed in the morning you trust that your legs will support you, that the floor will be there and won’t give way as you stand. Throughout the day you ‘trust’ the chairs you sit in, the cars you drive and the computers you work on…okay, that one may be a stretch.
Trust in physical things is relatively easy. But when it comes to trusting people it’s a whole different story. Why is that? Because people let us down, pure and simple. Politicians make promises they can never keep. Children make promises they forget about. Even lovers make promises that, for whatever the reason, they fail to deliver on.
Once trust is threatened or destroyed it can be difficult, if not impossible, to restore that trust because failed trust leaves us beaten up, battered and destroyed. A love relationship in which trust has been destroyed leaves you always wondering, always doubting, always insecure in the words spoken and the actions delivered. Lack of trust can drive us to a point in our lives where we sink into a hole of paranoia because we are never sure of what is true and can be trusted, and what is false.
So what are some milestones to build trust on? First of all when building or rebuilding trust we must look at history. What was the person like in the past? Have there been changes (positively or negatively) that would lead you to believe they can be trusted? A person’s past alone doesn’t determine whether they can be trusted or not, but it serves as a benchmark to measure progress towards trustworthiness.
Secondly, do the person’s words and actions in the present indicate a desire on their part to gain your trust? In other words, does their walk match their talk? An addict will always have the potential for a slip up. A child will always be a child and therefore be subject to irresponsibility. A spouse or lover will always have a chance of making some mistake along the way. Even in the times you don’t understand their actions do their actions indicate a desire on their part to gain your trust?
Lastly, and this is a tough question, “Is this relationship worth the risk?” When your personal or emotional safety is in question you have to decide how to keep yourself safe. Even if you love the person dearly, do you love them enough to risk being beaten or even killed? Is the love you feel worth the pain you are suffering? This is a matter of choice. No one can answer this question for you.
The Psalmist says “Lord, you are all powerful and completely trustworthy.” Having a hard time trusting God? Take a look at history. Everything your heavenly Father has ever promised has come to pass, just as he said it would. Even during those times when you didn’t understand his working and the things he has allowed to come into your life, his actions have been for your good to grow you and protect you and bring you closer to him.
Then ask yourself the hard question. “Is he worth the risk?” One time in Jesus life many of his followers became disillusioned and left him. Jesus turned to his disciples and said “Are you going to leave too?” To that question Peter said “Lord, where else is there to go? Who else gives us the things you have given us?”
When we look at God’s working in the past; when we honestly evaluate his present work in our lives; I believe there is only one answer. Trusting God is worth the risk. He’s proven himself time and again and even during those times I don’t understand his actions, I have to admit there is no one else I can turn to.
One last thing. Turn the tables for a moment. Imagine God asking the ‘trust questions’ about you. Have you been consistent in your history or do you constantly fail? Have you made promises you couldn’t keep or had no intention of keeping? Do your actions match your words? If you were God would you be ‘worth the risk?’
Jesus says, “Yes. You are worth the risk. You failed. You are failing. You will fail in the future. But you are worth the risk of my love.” And he proved his love for you by dyeing on the cross to forgive your sins.
PRAYER: Father God, help me to learn to trust you. I’ve been let down by so many people. I’ve been hurt and abused to the point I don’t trust anyone. Thank you that you always do what you say you’ll do. Thank you for thinking I’m worth the risk of your love. Amen.
No one who is dishonest will live in my house; no liars will stay around me. Psalm 101:7 (NCV)
You have a beautiful Ash tree in your back yard. The tree has been there since you first moved in. It’s been a climbing tree for your kids and now your grandkids. Their favorite tire swing hangs from that tree. It’s been the home of countless birds over the years, been shade for innumerable tea parties and withstood several storms and harsh winters.
Now, in a matter of a couple years it stands leafless. You noticed over the past couple years that its branches were becoming bare, but even so its nakedness catches you by surprise. You do some research and find out the culprit of your Ash tree’s demise is a little beetle about 1/3 of an inch long. The Emerald Ash Borer doesn’t look that impressive but it destroys thousands of trees every year.
In the same way that the Emerald Ash Borer destroys thousands trees every year, little white lies destroy or damage relationships. They start out small. Little ‘half-truths’ we call them. Little statements that we call harmless, but often grow more damaging as we try to cover our tracks.
A friend of mine was an investigator for law enforcement. One day he told me that he never believes the person he is investigating until he tells this story the third time. The first two times always add or take away facts that may incriminate him. The third version of the story usually brings all the facts together.
The Psalmist states clearly that dishonesty will never have a place under his roof. Why? Is he legalistic? Is he judgmental and demanding? Is he unfeeling and merciless? Not really. The Psalmist simply realizes that the most destructive thing to a relationship is a lie. Lies, regardless of their color, size or shape, are equally destructive to trust in a relationship.
Most of the time we lie to ourselves, others or even God (like he doesn’t know the truth!) to protect ourselves from conflict and/or to avoid consequences of our own behavior. Honesty with ourselves, others or God may be difficult and painful at first, but the pain we suffer for telling the truth the first time will be less than the pain we suffer for those ‘little white lies’ that grow into destructive monsters.
Take a lesson from the Emerald Ash Borer. Those little lies you tell will never help a relationship and will most likely cause damage in the long run. Being honest with yourself and with God is the first step to honesty with others.
PRAYER: Father God. I confess to you what you already know. I have a hard time being honest with you. I have a hard time being honest with others. I now realize that the difficulty I have with being honest is that I don’t feel good about me. Help me to have the confidence and strength to be honest with myself so I can be honest with others (including you). In Jesus name, Amen.
Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Hebrews 10:23 (NLT)
Ever been in a situation where people have been sharing about how God is working in their lives and wondered if he forgot about you?
You are struggling with finances and praying and working hard and doing all the ‘right things’ to make things work. You feel like you are trusting God for answers but none come.
Or you are in the midst of a very tense issue with some relationship and some guy stands up to share how they’ve had this conflict that has been eating them up, but that God has restored this relationship and they are praising him for intervening.
Or you are struggling with an addiction. This addiction has plagued you for years. You’ve prayed. You’ve sought counsel. You’ve asked for help from friends. You’ve done everything you can think of to free yourself of this problem and it still controls you to the point where you have considered just giving up on the whole ‘Christianity thing’ because it’s not working for you.
Or maybe you are thinking that if you hear just one more person say: “You just have to have faith. I just decided one day to give all my problems to God and he has blessed me tremendously” that you just may throw up.
These are just a few examples. What’s your story? If God were to appear to you as some genie in a bottle and ask you for your biggest desire, what would you ask him for?
In our most honest moments we’ve all had experiences when these struggles rear their ugly heads. You may be going through one right now. You believe in the God of Genesis. You trust Jesus fully and believe he has all things in his control. Yet there are areas in your life that just long for a touch, a message from God that says “I’m here. I’ll do what I’ve told you I’ll do.”
I have some bad news for you and some good news for you. First the bad news. There is no easy button in life. There’s no 12-step plan for seeing God work. There are things you can do to open yourself to his power, such as prayer, reading his word and being involved with other believers. But we serve a God that is a rebel at heart. God promises to be with us always, but he doesn’t promise to do things the same way for every person.
The good news is that he will fulfill his promises in his time and his time is always perfect. Imagine how the two on the road to Emmaus felt as they mourned the loss of Jesus. Full of confusion, fear and grief they thought everything was over…until Jesus showed up! The Bible is full of examples of Godly people doing the right things but not seeing God’s working for a long time.
When God seems to have forgotten us we need to hold on tightly for the ride knowing that in his time he will make himself known in real and marvelous ways. As the writer to the Hebrews says, God can be trusted to fulfill each of his promise.
PRAYER: Father God. I hear how you are working in other people and wonder why I can’t see you working in my life. If there is something within me I need to change, search my heart and reveal it to me. If, on the other hand I just need patience, give me strength to trust your promises. In Jesus name, Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 