October 10 is World Mental Health Day, a time to raise awareness globally about its importance. In his commentary on 2 Corinthians 1, Warren Wiersbe wrote on the subject of depression:[1]
“’You seem to imagine that I have no ups and downs, but just a level and lofty stretch of spiritual attainment with unbroken joy and equanimity. By no means! I am often perfectly wretched and everything appears most murky.’ So wrote the man who was called in his day ‘The Greatest Preacher in the English-speaking World’ – Dr. John Henry Jowett. He pastored leading churches, preached to huge congregations, and wrote books that were best sellers.
‘I am the subject of depressions of spirit so fearful that I hope none of you ever get to such extremes of wretchedness as I go to.’ Those words were spoken in a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon whose marvelous ministry in London made him perhaps the greatest preacher England ever produced.”
Depression is real and is not a sign of spiritual failure, as shown by these quotes by people we might consider spiritual giants. Therefore, how should we respond? This next quote points us in a good direction:
“People don’t fake depression…they fake being ok. Remember that. Be kind.” – unknown
[1] Wiersbe, Warren. Be Encouraged (2 Corinthians) (1994).
Intimidator 305 at King’s Dominion. The first hill at the top, with the following airtime hill in the middle.
My teenage son is a roller coaster enthusiast. He memorizes how tall they all are, how many inversions they each have, who the manufacturers are, how they work, and anything else he can find out. He takes lots of pictures of roller coasters, including the one I used for this post. Fortunately, I like them too. We’ve been on well over 100 different coasters together and will ride anything, but we do have slightly different tastes. Usually, he likes airtime more than I do, and I like intensity more than he does. As an enthusiast, he’s the one who told me what a greyout is: “a transient loss of vision characterized by a perceived dimming of light and color, sometimes accompanied by a loss of peripheral vision.”[1] Caused by low brain oxygen levels, a greyout can happen on roller coasters and can be a precursor to fainting.
Intimidator 305 at King’s Dominion in Virginia was my first greyout. The ride, with a 90-mph top speed on the 300-foot first drop, is themed after NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, whose nickname was “The Intimidator.” At the bottom of that first drop, the track banks into a 270-degree turn to the right, and the first time on it, the edges of my vision began to fade as blood rushed to my legs and feet. I felt the intensity rising, and my field of vision gradually narrowed into a small pinpoint, and I nervously tensed up. However, before I knew it, I was fine and back to enjoying the ride.
After we got off, I mentioned my greyout and my enthusiast son explained why I recovered so quickly. It was no accident. Intimidator 305 was designed by people who knew what the ride would do to people, so after the 270-degree turn, there is a 150-foot airtime hill. As the train comes up this hill, the track bends down at a lower angle than the train would go on its own momentum, which not only gives riders “airtime” as they feel weightless, but also gives a rush of blood to the brain. So, by design, I experienced greyout, followed by an amazingly quick return to normal, without fainting.
What’s the spiritual lesson in this? There are times where our lives feel like we’re in that disorienting 270-degree turn at 90 mph. Our awareness narrows to where we can only see the problems in front of us and our body begins to feel stress. In some cases, the stress itself might become the only thing we can see, having forgotten what caused it. That intense turn can seem like it will never end, and we can’t see the relief ahead of us. Sometimes it comes after a great success, perhaps right after the thrill of dropping down a hill at high speed…Or perhaps after experiencing a miracle. Peter had such faith that he walked on water, “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me.’”[2] Even Apostles felt hopeless sometimes.
Like Peter, when we cry out “Lord, save me” we may need a reminder of 1 Corinthians 10:13, where Paul wrote: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
We may need a reminder from a Christian enthusiast, or maybe from our Father Himself, that we have a way of escape by design. After every sharp turn we think will never end is a refreshing moment where we feel weightless, held by our Lord in His loving embrace. In Peter’s case, “Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’ And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.”[3] In the Father’s wisdom, relief will not always be immediate – it may take longer than we expect, but it is inevitable because He promises it.
That day, we rode Intimidator 305 three more times and every time I wasn’t as worried about the greyout because I knew that airtime hill was coming. It’s now one of my favorites. Thankfully, our lives also are in the hands of a Designer who knows how to teach us to trust Him, and also how to heal us when life’s troubles feel like they’re going to knock us out.
In the holiday classic It’s a Wonderful Life, Jimmy Stewart’s character George Bailey gets an opportunity to see what the world would be like if he never existed, and it’s not good. George had a big impact on his community and the people around him, but the broader point of the movie is that if any of us were missing, there would be a gaping hole where we should be.
At the beginning of the book of Romans, Paul introduces himself as: “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God”[1] Most of his letters start this way.
Imagine if Paul had not been called to be an apostle, or written Romans. There would be a hole where Romans should be, and the same is true of work for God that anyone leaves undone. We may not be George Bailey or Paul, but everyone has a role in the church and the world by the will of God. We are not called to be apostles as Paul was, but we are all called to something.
“Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil.” – Ecclesiastes 5:1
When recently reading Ecclesiastes I was initially put off by the seeming harshness of this verse. What sort of sacrifice to God is foolish, or even evil? What is this verse of the Bible I believe in telling me to do, or not to do, and how does it point to Christ?
Then I was reminded of Micah 6:6-8: “With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
When Jesus said “it is finished” on the cross, He was saying His sacrifice is enough and it is all we need. We don’t go to church to negotiate with or bargain with God. We cannot impress God. We can offer nothing He does not already have and has not already provided. This is good news!
We only offer ourselves in worship. We “draw near to listen”, to know Him, and to follow Him. Take a listen to one of my favorite hymns today and just be available for whatever He has in store for you. He is enough for you, and for the world.
After a frantic period where Jesus learned of John the Baptist’s death, then was crowded by over 5,000 hungry people in the wilderness who wanted to make Him king after He miraculously fed them, He sought some time alone. Jesus told his disciples to get on a boat without Him and begin heading across the sea so He could spend time on the mountain that evening. Jesus always found time to be with His Father. This is the background for a small group study of the apostle Peter I recently led focused on Matthew 14:22-36, the story of Jesus, and then Peter, walking on water.
At night, probably shortly before dawn, the disciples were still rowing against the wind, being “beaten by the waves.” They should have been across by this time. In an earlier storm, recorded in Matthew 8:23-27, Jesus had been with the disciples on a boat in a storm, and He woke from a nap to quiet the storm that was terrifying them. This time, they were exactly where He had sent them: in the boat to cross ahead of Him. Even though Jesus was not with them, He knew they would be fighting a storm again, and He had taught them He is the Lord of the storms.
Amid the rain and wind and waves, the disciples saw something on the water and cried out in fear: “It is a ghost!” This was the only explanation they could come up with for something traveling over the water without sinking. But Jesus said “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid,” and they knew it was Him, walking on the water. He was still Lord of the storms.
In response, Peter (acting boldly as usual) exercised faith 3 times in this story. First, he believed Jesus was who He said He was. The initial shock and fear of what looked like a ghost passed when Peter heard His voice. Second, he knew Jesus was capable of walking on water, so why couldn’t He enable Peter to do it too? Third, when Peter “saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink,” he kept faith that Jesus could and would save him from drowning.
But why did Peter begin to sink? The text says he was distracted when he “saw the wind.” In that wind, he saw circumstances that he feared were more powerful than Jesus. Peter could believe Jesus could make him walk on water when he was in a boat, but when wind and waves started hitting him it was harder to trust. There’s a conflict here between faith and circumstances, doubt and trust. Faith can raise us above our circumstances, but only when we focus on Jesus to overcome our doubt. When we look away from Him, our circumstances can overwhelm us.
Peter learned that he could walk on water, but also that it was only possible by focusing his gaze on Jesus, not by relying on his own strength and ability. Only by relying on Him can we thrive. When walking by faith, hearing and obeying His Spirit, it can feel like walking on water, because “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” – Galatians 5:22-23a
Do you sometimes feel like you’re in a stormy sea, and getting across is taking longer than it should? Is there a stormy situation in your life that requires stepping out in faith? Are there circumstances you’re focusing on that make you feel you are sinking?
God sometimes knowingly sends us into storms to test our faith, just like Jesus sent the disciples into this storm to help them learn to trust Him. If you’re in a storm, seek Him and go to Him. Turn your eyes upon Jesus; He can make you walk above your circumstances.
Driving Toward the Morning Sun 