This Little Babe Will Be Thy Guard

One Christmas, my high school chamber choir sang a piece from Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols. The music is neither serene, nor sprightly, nor solemnly majestic, but breathless, intense – almost frantic. The text, rather than being typically “Christmassy,” is archaic, portentous, and rife with battle imagery. 

In high school, I appreciated it…a little. But time has passed; I’ve had more years in God’s Word; and, as I’ve begun to grasp the weight and glory of the Incarnation, I’ve realized what a brilliant composition it is. Here’s the first verse, from a poem by by 16th-century poet Robert Southwell:

This little babe, so few days old,

Is come to rifle Satan’s fold;

All hell doth at his presence quake.

Though he himself for cold do shake,

For in this weak unarmèd wise

The gates of hell he will surprise.

 

Hardly your typical Christmas fare…but the perspective it reveals is essential to the Christmas story.

When Baby Jesus showed up in Bethlehem, much more was happening than a newborn arriving amongst humble surroundings under a shining star. More, certainly, than the birth of an inspirational Teacher who would show us the power of kindness. God was, in fact, fulfilling a promise He’d made long ago to the serpent in the Garden – the serpent who had tempted Adam and Eve away from God with empty promises of fulfillment on their own terms; who had been the catalyst for sin’s disastrous entry into the world; who had seemed, that day, to be the victor.

God’s promise was that the serpent’s victory would be only temporary.

The birth of Christ was the turning point in a cosmic conflict that began when Satan decided, in his pride and lust for power, that he would be a god unto himself – and that, moreover, he would spend the rest of time convincing as many people as possible that they could do likewise. Jesus’ birth, however, signaled to Satan that his time was running out. The Nativity is not the beginning of a story, nor was Jesus’ death the end of it; rather, Jesus’ earthly life, beginning with the Incarnation, is the pivotal chapter in the story God wrote before time began. The story that ends with Satan defeated, Jesus reigning, and sin and sorrow forever banished.

And so, along with Isaiah 9, Luke 2, John 1, and the many other beautiful Bible passages pointing to the glory of the Incarnation, we should also reflect on Ephesians 6:10-13:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

This season, we celebrate because the story isn’t over yet. We celebrate Satan defeated by a sovereign God who keeps his promises. The Baby in the manger reminds us that, in the war against “cosmic powers over this present darkness,” God wins – finally, gloriously, and eternally.

Southwell’s poem, vividly reminiscent of Ephesians 6, ends thus:

My soul, with Christ join thou in fight;

Stick to the tents that he hath pight;

Within his crib is surest ward,

This little babe will be thy guard.

If thou wilt foil thy foes with joy,

Then flit not from this heavenly boy!

 

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Impostor Syndrome: The Uncomfortable Truth

I am not the best writer alive.

Don’t worry; you don’t need to come into my comment section and reassure me that I’m actually a very good writer. For real, guys: that first statement is objectively true. AND…it’s fine.

Like many people, I have struggled with wishing I were a lot better at the things I do. Or (let’s be honest) with resenting the fact that I will never be the best at those things. That I don’t even need to look at the famous people to find somebody who writes better. Or who’s better at music. Or who’s just plain smarter. Those people are right in my own family, church, and so on. Impostor Syndrome has set in, and I’ve wondered: should I even bother?

Poor me. What I need is some positive self-talk. Friends who tell me how amazing I am. Right? 

Nope.

It was while reading Matthew 25:14-28 a few years ago that I got a serious gut punch about how I perceive my gifts. You know that passage: it’s the parable in which a man, before leaving on a journey, distributes varying amounts of money to each of his servants – five talents, two talents, and one talent. Five-Talent Guy and Two-Talent Guy double their money; One-Talent Guy buries his. Upon his return, the master commends the first two with the same words:

“Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.”

Conversely, though One-Talent Guy tries to paint his hoarding in a positive light (“Here, you have what is yours”), he is rebuked: 

“[Y]ou ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest…to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

Here’s the ugly truth: my Impostor Syndrome is nothing more than pride and ingratitude. Why keep a blog when she has exponentially more readers? Why bother conducting a choir when he is so much more gifted?  Why pursue anything that won’t garner the accolades I crave? Essentially, I’ve prioritized my own glory, and neglected to consider whether I’m using my gifts to bring glory to God.

I have two choices. I can wallow in envy, squandering what God has given me, and neglect to glorify Him in the circles where He has placed me. OR…I can accept the fact that God designed us all differently. That, in His gracious sovereignty, He placed me exactly where He wants me, and gave me exactly what I need to bring glory to Him. 

What a shame it would be if, because of my gift-hoarding, the kids in my choir missed out on an opportunity to sing for the glory of God. Or if some potential readers missed out on an opportunity to hear the Gospel. Or if I in any other way failed to encourage somebody else because I was blinded by my own need for affirmation.

When I take my eyes off of myself, feelings of inadequacy and resentment begin to fade. Freed from self-centered worries about whether I’m talented enough or getting noticed enough, I can prayerfully use my gifts with the purpose of reflecting my Savior. And no gift offered back to Him is ever wasted.

Acknowledging Him — Even in the “Small Things”

One thing I’ve learned in eighteen years of motherhood is that I absolutely love driving places by myself. Not actually GOING PLACES, mind you; just driving. In an empty car, I can listen to my favorite podcasts; bop to my favorite music; pray aloud; or just savor the silence. An empty car offers the solitude that lacks the distractions, and consequent decision fatigue, of an empty house. (Look at this mess! I really should clean. Or, hey, I could finally start that project I’ve been delaying. Ooh, should I watch a movie?)

And so it is that when I recently headed out for some errands, my heart sank just a little when my eldest asked if he could join me. Are you serious? But but but…this is ME time! 

However, another thing I’ve learned after eighteen years of motherhood – parents, you know this – is that some of the best conversations happen in the car. So I (resignedly) said yes. The end of that story, of course, is that we had a lovely time together and I was glad I’d agreed to it.

An obvious takeaway is that we should savor the time we have with our kids. These years, they go by so quickly. Carpe diem. And trust me: these things are true! 

Something more is at play here, though. The immediate question that arises in such moments is: am I willing to sacrifice my time alone for the sake of building relationship? Underlying that is the real question:

Do I trust God enough to obey Him right now?

Much of the time, when I make a choice that doesn’t align with God’s best for me, it’s because, well, I just don’t think His idea would work. If, say, I let my preference for solitude take a backseat to time with my son (i.e. looking not only to my own interest, but the interest of others), I’ll be tired! Or if, for example, I choose to swallow the nasty, sarcastic words that are just begging to escape my lips during a disagreement (i.e. being slow to speak and slow to anger), I’ll lose credibility by letting the other person win! And if, perhaps, I share a biblical truth when everything in culture tells me it’s hateful (i.e. fearing God rather than man), somebody might stop liking me!

When I think of Proverbs 3:5-6 (“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding…”), I’m inclined to think of BIG things – where to live, where to work, whom to marry, etc. More and more, though, I’ve come to realize that it’s in these day-to-day, seemingly small decisions that I reveal the extent of my trust in Him. Do I truly believe that, if I follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit, ordering my steps according to God’s commands, He will work things out for good? I can say I do, but my choices reveal the truth.

I’m still learning this. Too often, I lean on my own understanding. Still, God graciously and repeatedly reminds me when I do acknowledge Him – even in the “small” things – that His ways are always better. 

Church is Not a Check Mark

“Thou shalt go to church” is not a verse found anywhere in the Bible. Convenient, isn’t it? With Saturdays often getting filled up with laundry, yard work, and projects, it’s nice to feel like there’s an extra day to unwind. We can be Christians without being all legalistic about it, can’t we?

So goes one approach to church attendance.

Then again, there’s the opposite approach: namely, “Yep, I went to church again yesterday…so God should be satisfied.” Christian stuff: done. Now on to the rest of my week.

And in both cases, we miss the point.

Instead of expanding on the fact that the New Testament is replete with instructions on how to best structure a local church body; that the centrality of a local church in a believer’s life is emphasized repeatedly throughout the epistles and in Revelation; and that Hebrews 10:25 says we should “not [be] neglecting to meet together”; I would like to point out, rather, that gathering regularly with a local body of believers provides things that simply don’t happen when we study the Bible – as we should! – on our own. 

No matter how many times I’ve read one Scripture passage or another, I can listen to a sermon and learn something that I’d never realized before. Church helps us understand the Bible more deeply.

I could, of course, find sermons online – hundreds, in fact. But hearing God’s Word shared by my pastor – someone I’ve talked to, eaten with, and found to be a faithful follower of Christ as well as a preacher of Christ – allows for a much deeper connection to a sermon than anything I could experience from even the most solid message on YouTube. Church adds relationship to biblical insight.

Still: small-group Bible studies with friends provide relationship. And if believers ARE the church, and we’re gathering regularly, well…we’re all set, right? Here’s the thing: such Bible studies are usually more or less homogeneous, member-wise. This isn’t a bad thing – but on its own, it offers an insufficient picture of the Church as described in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4: a body, composed of numerous disparate parts, coming together to bring their gifts to God and build one another up. Gathering week after week with people of different ages, demographics, and backgrounds because we’re united in Christ; growing and serving with them; praying with them and being prayed for by them…well, it’s nothing short of beautiful. Church reminds us that we’re part of a Body, and grows us spiritually as we walk through joy and sorrow side by side.

Which brings me to my last point: worship. My day-to-day life is meant to be an act of worship toward my loving Creator, but it’s missing something vital if I’m not setting aside a day when I direct my full attention toward Him, praising Him and honoring the One who alone is worthy of all blessing, glory, and honor. And let me tell you: praising our Lord alongside other members of the Body – the ones I mentioned earlier – is an experience nothing else can replicate. It directs our hearts and minds toward Him, allowing us to more fully appreciate the truths in our “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” than if we sang in isolation. Church allows us to refocus our hearts and minds on God, rejoicing more fully in who He is as we do so in community with other believers.

Why go to church? Not so we can check a box. Not to prove anything to God. Rather, we go because what God has designed for us is always the best. Because, as Paul writes in Ephesians 4:15-16, “we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

What a beautiful gift from our gracious God. And what a privilege that He welcomes us into it.

An Open Letter to my Fellow Introverts

Once upon a time, it was uncool to be an introvert. 

While there may be several reasons this paradigm has shifted in recent years, bestselling author Susan Cain deserves a lot of the credit. Her 2012 book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking shone a spotlight on introversion, revealing that introverts are not people-hating weirdos with nothing interesting to say, but simply people who interact with the world differently from the extroverts who had, for decades, gotten all the glory. She wrote:

We live with a value system that I call the Extrovert Ideal—the omnipresent belief that the ideal self is gregarious, alpha, and comfortable in the spotlight. The archetypal extrovert prefers action to contemplation, risk-taking to heed-taking, certainty to doubt. He favors quick decisions, even at the risk of being wrong. She works well in teams and socializes in groups. We like to think that we value individuality, but all too often we admire one type of individual—the kind who’s comfortable ‘putting himself out there.’

Having spent years comparing myself with the fun, popular extroverts and seeming to come up short over and over, I found tremendous encouragement from her insights. “Quiet” was a book whose time had come. 

That time, however, has come and gone. 

Introversion has become a badge of honor: a character trait its possessors allude to almost constantly through various pithy passive-aggressive comments. 

“We introverts don’t dislike people; we actually like them more than the rest of you shallow extroverts who do nothing but small talk.” 

“We introverts talk less because we’re so busy thinking thoughts that are so much deeper than the ones you extroverts are thinking.”

“We introverts need to go home and recharge because we’re so exhausted from dealing with all the unwashed masses of extroverts.”

And so on. 

Today, I have two requests. I apologize in advance if they sound mean, but I think the time has come. Remember: I’m asking you as a friend.

First: can we stop? I think we’ve made our point. Is there anybody not living under a rock who hasn’t heard at least one of the above comments? Do we really still feel like an oppressed class? What, exactly, is the purpose of continuing to hammer the fact of our introversion into the head of any person we talk to for more than five minutes? 

Second – and here I am specifically addressing those who, in addition to being fellow introverts, are also fellow Christ followers – can we choose not to let this one character trait define everything about who we are?

Each one of us is fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), and God’s careful attention in crafting us most certainly extends beyond our physical characteristics. He designed some of us to be less gregarious and more introspective, and we can be confident that this was according to His good plan. Trying to overhaul your personality in order to align with the “cool” people is futile and exhausting and reflects a lack of contentment with God’s design. (Feel free to fact-check this against 1 Corinthians 12:12-25).

BUT.

“Introvert,” at the end of the day, is not my primary identity. I am, above all else, a child of God. Moment by moment, I can glorify my heavenly Father through obedience to Him…or I can glorify myself by continuously seeking my own comfort and convenience. Our innate selfishness pervades every aspect of our lives so insidiously that we hardly notice it; consequently, we must actively resist it. As introverts, we have some specific methods of prioritizing our own comfort…without batting an eyelash because, well, introversion. Here are some things I can tell myself – though in nicer-sounding words – when I put “introvert” before “follower of Jesus”…

“My family has been needing me ALL DAY and I just can’t with them anymore. Time to hide in the closet until I’ve recharged.”

“I said I’d attend this event that I know is really important to my good friend, but I’m tired and I need to put me first tonight.” 

“There’s a new person standing alone in my (church/school/social gathering) who probably feels unsure about how to start talking to somebody, but I sure as heck don’t have to be the one to welcome her in. After all, I’m an INTROVERT!”

Friends, these statements reflect an inversion of our priorities. Each one focuses on self. MY comfort. MY preferences. MY interests. I’ll mention just one passage that should make us second-guess those thoughts, though I’m sure you can think of others.

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus… (Phil. 2:4-6a).

There will be times when loving others requires stepping outside of our introverted selves. It will be uncomfortable; it will be intimidating; it will employ muscles we don’t use very often. And we must be willing to accept that. No personality type, social quirk, or conversational habits excuse a child of God, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, from seeking to reflect God’s love by loving others. If this sounds too hard, remember Jesus’ words to Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (I Cor. 12:9)

We know that love is self-sacrificial. And this is just one more opportunity to reflect God’s love.

 

******

 

P.S. This is as much a reminder to myself as to anybody else who is reading it…as is true for most of what I write.

 

P.P.S. I meant it when I said we don’t need to overhaul our God-given personalities and become extroverts. Any time I have stretched myself by heeding the advice given above, I have found that God always provides the rest and recovery I need. He is so good. And pouring oneself out for others, in obedience to Him, is never something we will regret.

 

What Really Went Wrong: A Note for Hitchhikers

And then, one Thursday , nearly two thousand years after one man had been nailed to a tree for saying how great it would be to be nice to people for a change, a girl sitting on her own in a small café in Rickmansworth suddenly realized what it was that had been going wrong all this time…

~ Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Before going on, I feel I should admit something about myself — something I honestly didn’t know until my early twenties. An older relative told me, when my husband and I were visiting his farm, that he remembered how, as a child, I “always took things so serious.” This was a revelation to me; I thought I had a pretty healthy sense of humor and could even be quite funny sometimes, thank you very much.

Turns out he wasn’t wrong.

I’ve read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy multiple times, largely because it makes me laugh out loud — so much so that it probably gets annoying. See? I do get humor. Still, it’s true that, even when consuming comedy, my brain will sometimes revisit something I just heard or read, and ask: is this actually true?

Case in point: is it actually true that what angered Jesus’ contemporaries so much — angered them so much that they condemned Him to a brutal, shameful death — was His admonition to be nice to people?

As any student of world religions can tell you, the Golden Rule — i.e., the principle (found in Matthew 7) of treating others the way we’d like to be treated — is espoused, with little variation, by followers of many different belief systems. Even those who claim no belief system will uphold this Rule as the guiding principle for human interaction. This is sometimes used as an argument against Christianity, in fact. “Why do I need the Bible when any religion on the menu can tell me how to treat people?”

It’s a fair point.

Very few people (maybe even no people?) are offended by the instruction to be nice. The “be kind” message is ubiquitous right now; we see it on T-shirts, bumper stickers, mugs, and more. So why did they nail Jesus to a tree if He was simply regurgitating an exhortation most people had already heard before, and why do many today find traditional, biblical Christianity so distasteful? While an in-depth exploration of this topic could fill a book, I believe the crux of the matter is pretty simple, and it goes all the way back to Genesis.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'”

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Genesis 3:1-5

You will be like God.

All the way back to Eden, the temptation to enthrone ourselves has been too much for humans to resist. The Pharisees and other leaders of Jesus’ time certainly didn’t like the idea of yielding moral authority to somebody other than themselves. Two thousand years later, mankind is still trying to go its own way. More than anything, we humans want complete personal autonomy. We’re happy to be kind — but on our own terms. We want to be “moral” — but only if we get to dictate what entails morality. We want to follow our hearts without pesky questions about whether our hearts are actually trustworthy guides. We want to be on the throne, and, from that position, to be the benevolent, all-wise rulers of our own lives.

The central message of Christianity isn’t “be nice.” It is, as Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, [and] that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (I Cor. 15:3-4). The same Christ who died for our sins, who was one with the Father and the Holy Spirit before the world was created, is the only One worthy to be on the throne. 

That’s a lot harder to swallow than the Golden Rule. As a reason for putting somebody to death…well, it makes a bit more sense, doesn’t it?

But believe me: He alone belongs on the throne of our lives. Replacing Him with anybody else…well, that’s really what’s been going wrong all this time.

Goodbye, Hello

Well, I’m back.

Okay, I didn’t spend the past three years trudging to Mordor to save the world from a second darkness, but it HAS been a long time — filled with activities slightly less perilous than facing the Dark Lord — since I wrote anything here. It turns out that, if my day-to-day activities are a table and the “extracurriculars” are plates I need to keep spinning, I can manage three plates, tops. More, and something breaks. Consequently, the blog “plate” had to go for a time.

But I’ve missed it. So many thoughts have been piling up in my head that I’m not even sure where to start once I actually get beyond this self-indulgent “did-you-miss me?” post. Still…I think I’ll figure something out. Hopefully writing this will help me get the sentences flowing in future posts.

The one real thought I will share here is this: if writing is something God has given me the ability and the desire to do — with even moderate skill — then I need to use it. Even if my audience never grows beyond the 147 currently following me (more like 100 if you don’t count the spurious Facebook accounts), I still have a responsibility to share what God is teaching me. What He’s done. How good He is.

Meanwhile, that’s all for now. I intend to be back — sporadically and maybe even regularly. Thanks for stopping by!

Brief thoughts on 06.24.2022

I am overjoyed by today’s news about Roe v. Wade.

I know many people who are not.

If that describes you, I understand that you are angry. That you now like me a bit less (if you didn’t already know my beliefs about this issue).

There are so many things I want to say, but I’d rather share the wise words of others who have written and spoken about the tragedy of abortion…and then add some brief thoughts that I pray you will read, even if you simply continue scrolling after a disgusted glance at the links I share.

It doesn’t matter if you like me (even though I prefer being liked). I am responsible to my Creator, to whom I will one day give an account. That Creator designed you…me…the babies being carried in their mothers’ bodies. He knows how life works best — He designed it! — and when He gives restrictions, it’s out of His immense love for us. Life without Him, lived for ourselves, might seem more “free”…but only in Him will you find true peace and joy.

And He, by the way, determines what’s good — and, therefore, what is evil. Many evils in history were considered “good” at the time, and were recognized as deplorable only by those who looked back. If you spend your life following your heart (instead of God’s) and living your truth (rather than seeking HIS truth), then a day will come when you look back and realize that your definition of “good” was worlds away from God’s standard.

I pray that you will come to know Jesus and while you can still turn to Him. HE is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Ryan Bomberger: You Can Never End Abortion If You Vote for It

“In American jurisprudence, there is no case more aligned to Roe v. Wade than Dred Scott. In both, seven Supremely wrong justices decided that certain human beings weren’t persons, therefore had no Constitutional rights. In both rulings, human beings were then property that could be bought, sold, or killed at will. In both rulings, the humanity of a group of people was denied so that a small group of people could profit (immensely) from their oppression.” – Great article explaining why pro-lifers are so passionate about this “one issue.”

Abortion Facts: Eight Facts Most People Don’t Know About How Abortion Hurts Women

Bafflingly, pro-lifers are often accused of being “anti-woman.” This brief article points out the harm experienced by women who have had abortions. Pardon the sarcasm, but…NEWS FLASH: when we fight for babies’ right to life, we are also fighting for the women who have been duped into thinking they’ll go through an abortion unscathed.

This video by Mike Winger addresses some common accusations and misconceptions thrown at those who want to protect unborn babies. HIGHLY recommended.

Also highly recommended.

https://natashacrain.com/these-viral-pro-choice-memes-miss-the-point-and-fail-the-test-of-logic/

This article by Natasha Crain analyzes popular pro-choice memes that have made the rounds all over social media. I’m sure you’ve seen some of them. If you don’t click every link…click this one and the Mike Winger video. Watch and read prayerfully.

When the Waters Threaten

Something I’ve discovered as an adult is that hard times affect individuals’ emotions in very different ways. Several friends of mine rarely experience depression; some attack their problems head-on, some ignore them, and some, I think, simply do a better job than I do at not living inside their heads constantly. (Sounds amazing!)

Obviously, I am not among them. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much for me to end up, mentally and emotionally, in a fairly dark place.

I am NOT an expert on this…in the sense of having been trained. I know that times come when simple solutions don’t suffice. Over the years, though, God has reminded me of some truths, and those reminders have often allowed such times to be less dark. So — with the caveat that I speak only from experience — I want to share some ways I’ve been able to reach the other side of depression.

Step outside your emotions

This approach really underlies several of the steps I take during a dark period. It’s so important to remember how unreliable and ephemeral our feelings can be. Not invalid or fake — but unreliable. I can wake up one morning remembering all God has done in my life and in others’ and feel peaceful and content…then wake up 24 hours later remembering all the ways I don’t measure up, all the prayers that seem unanswered, all the ways I’ve been hurt…and BOOM, my downward spiral begins.

What changed? Usually, very little; but my mind has suddenly shifted its focus. Realizing this has allowed me to think of my emotions as a separate entity — something to study rather than to wallow in. Something, in fact, that I can wait out, much like a passing storm or, more accurately, a rainy season. It WILL end.

Find the patterns

In stepping outside my emotions, I’ve noticed something: some of my darker times are extremely predictable. Much more so than the weather. For me, specific occasions are almost guaranteed to precede a bout of depression. These include:

• Transitioning back to real life. Almost any time I’ve gone on vacation, then need to resume my regular homeschooling responsibilities, I struggle. For at LEAST a week.
• Time with certain people. I know this sounds mean, but in most cases, it’s nothing against THEM; in fact, it’s the people I consider amazing who get me down, especially after a prolonged period of time with them. Everything that’s wrong with me (and is not only right, but spectacular with these loved ones) stares me in the face and leaves me wallowing in self-loathing and/or self-pity.
• THAT time. Ladies, you know what time. I hate to admit it, but for those few days, everything just hurts a lot more.

Does this awareness turn me into an invincible ray of sunshine? No. But seeing the patterns helps me to remember that this, too, shall pass — just like it always does.

Talk (don’t listen!) to yourself

In Psalm 42:5, the writer asks: “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me?” He immediately follows with the exhortation: “Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence.” The last verse of the Psalm (42:11) is almost identical.

The psalmist has been listening to his own thoughts, and they are indeed despairing. Can you identify with this? (My hand is raised!) Depression tends to drive me to quiet solitude, and in that state, all I can hear is my own dark thoughts. Trust me: listening to those thoughts never helps. But how can you combat it?

Talk to yourself.

Tell yourself things that are true. Remind yourself of who God is. I admit that I would have found this simplistic in the past. I know it may not be the silver bullet for what you’re enduring. But you may be surprised. Reading out loud from the Psalms — at length! — has truly helped to draw me out of myself and fix my eyes back on my Savior and Friend.

Remember 1 Peter 5:8

“Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

A verse about Satan? How, exactly, can that be encouraging?

It’s far too easy to forget that a spiritual battle is constantly being waged…and it’s taking place on all fronts. I’ve written elsewhere that we tend to think of evil as grandiose and external — the kind of thing we read about. Like slavery, or persecution of Christians, or abuse. And yet, the Bible shows us that Satan can also work much more subtly. He is the father of lies (John 8:44) and relentlessly accuses God’s children (Rev. 12:10). And doesn’t this sound exactly like what takes place in our minds when we’re despondent?

“You’re the worst.”

“It’ll never get better.”

“There’s no point in trying.”

Friends, these thoughts are not from God; in fact, they are being systematically fed to us where we’re most vulnerable…and least likely to fight back. When we can identify them as such, though, we are taking back the reins. We can step back and run to our Savior, the One full of grace and truth. Those other things we’ve been hearing?

THEY. ARE. LIES.

And why should we listen to a liar?!?

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None of this is easy. Depression saps us of willpower, and besides, the lies are extremely convincing. So, again, I don’t claim that any of this will “cure” anybody right away — or forever. Still, my prayer is that God will work in your life as He has worked in mine, and that the next time despair knocks you down, you’ll find it just a little easier to get back up.

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

Forgiven Little, Loving Little

You’re a pretty good person, aren’t you?

Of course you are. So am I. I’m usually nice to people. I’m mostly honest. I don’t intentionally harm others. I’ve never committed a crime. If, occasionally, I’m grumpy or selfish or lazy, well…I’m human. Just like you.

In Luke 7, we meet somebody who views herself quite differently.

As Jesus reclines at the dinner table of a Pharisee named Simon, a woman enters the house. Approaching Jesus, she begins to weep, anointing Him with costly perfume, kissing His feet and wiping them with her hair. Looking on, Simon says to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner” (v. 39).

https://pilgrimwatch.com/above-all-else-worship-god/

Jesus, aware of these thoughts, asks a question: if a moneylender cancels the debts of two people — one who owes a large sum, the other a negligible one — which one will love the moneylender more? Simon promptly provides the obvious response: the debtor who had owed more. Like that debtor, Jesus then points out, this unexpected houseguest is overcome with love; she is aware of her deep need for forgiveness and yet knows that Jesus can still forgive all of her sin.

This beautiful account contains much about what the Gospel is…more than we might realize at first glance.

What Simon the Pharisee didn’t at first grasp (and we’re left guessing about whether he eventually got it) is this: we are all in need of forgiveness. Jesus’ illustration didn’t consist of one person who owed a staggering debt and one person who owed nothing. Why? Because they represented the Pharisee and the sinful woman, both of whom carried a debt they couldn’t pay.

We, too, carry a debt we can’t pay.

It’s an element of the Gospel that so many people fail to grasp. My sins are run-of-the-mill; no murdering, no bank robbing, no drug dealing…yet, I do sin. And the fact that I am a sinner means I need God’s forgiveness.

For most people in today’s culture, this truth is tough to swallow. We like to think that as long as we’re doing our best, we’re fine; that, in fact, our best efforts deserve a reward from God (if He exists). In essence, we each want to be the rulers of our own lives, dictating which morals are important, which transgressions are insignificant, and ultimately being rewarded with what we’ve decided we earned.

Some people, however, don’t have that option. Like the woman in Luke 7, they’ve sunk so low that they can’t possibly pretend to themselves that they’re entitled to the good things God has to offer. When they meet Jesus, and when they learn that He is ready to receive them with open arms, they are overwhelmed by God’s mercy and love. The apostle Paul experienced this. So did the woman at Jesus’ feet. Today, many of the believers I know who shine the light of Christ the most brightly — who are the most eager to share the Gospel wherever they go — are the ones Jesus rescued from lifestyles of depravity that even the most liberal-minded of us would frown upon.

Whenever I spend time with these brothers and sisters in Christ — whenever I hear a believer joyfully share his or her story of being rescued by our Redeemer — I am humbled and convicted. I’m reminded that every one of us who knows the Lord should have that same excitement.

The excitement of the woman at Jesus’ feet.

Because, in truth, all sin — small, great, or in-between — is enough to separate us from God…but NO sin is too much for Him to forgive.