COPING WITH SADNESS, DISCOURAGEMENT AND DEPRESSION

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and
even though you do not see Him now, you believe in
Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.
(1 Peter 1:8)

MEDITATION:
How do you handle it when you are sad, discouraged, or depressed?
We live in a world where there are many opportunities to feel this
way, don’t we? People experience thwarted hopes, broken dreams
and frustrated desires. Our world has a lot of speed, noise and mass
confusion, but has few places where there is deep happiness and quiet
hearts.

We can find many opportunities for fun, but quite often they don’t
include a deep happiness; the kind of happiness that extends past
the brief moments of fun. We can get off to ourselves and avoid the
noise and confusion around us, but still struggle with finding peace
in the midst of our quiet surroundings.

We can look around us and see people who have lost their bright
and joyful radiance. The countenance of many appears to be full
of rigidness, worry and anxiousness. We can see it during their
conversations. as they seem distracted while we are speaking to
them. We can see it in their furrowed brows that tell us they are
trying to cope with some things they haven’t mentioned.

Is there any remedy for the feelings of sadness and discouragement?
Yes, there is! Jesus Christ is the answer to our discouragement and
sadness. An intimate relationship with Him (which means including
Him in our lives) is the source of optimism, hope and cheerfulness.

When we are attuned to God through our faith in Jesus, we can
experience an overflow of joyous optimism and cheerfulness. The
truth is, we can never expect to be completely free from our feelings
of discouragement and despondency until we have tuned into God.

Jesus is the wellspring of happiness and the fountain of joy. Even
though we can’t see Him, we can see the results of His presence.
He is the secret of joy for all who believe in Him and enjoy the
time spent with Him alone. We are blessed when we spend time
with others who have a kindred spirit. God loves those who loves
His Son and He blesses them in ways the world cannot match.

ACTION:
Questions to consider:
    – How is your relationship with the Lord?
    – Do you have an intimate or casual relationship with the Lord?
       In other words, do you have the type of fellowship with Him
       that causes you to want to spend as much time with Him
       as possible, or do you only fellowship with Him when it
       fits your schedule and is convenient for you? You wouldn’t
       consider someone a friend if they only wanted to be around
       you when it’s convenient for them, would you?

There are people who want a relationship with Jesus based on their
terms, rather than being submissive to His terms. We should never
be guilty of allowing the world to convince us to create a god in our
own image (one that fits our likes, dislikes, schedule, etc.). Instead,
we need to conform to the image of God.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for the blessings you have for those
who love Your Son. Even though I can’t see You, I know of Your
presence and the joy I can experience by knowing You better. The
world can’t fill the desires of my heart, but You can. Through Your
love I can experience the delight of a quiet heart and a joy that is
not short-lived, but one that can’t be taken away. I pray that I will
always keep my eyes on You, my source of joy and peace.”

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