When your next trial comes, trust that your faith will tell you to reach for the anchor who is Lord Jesus.
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What Does Depression Mean for My Faith? – What should Christians think about clinical depression? How can church leaders respond lovingly to those who face this dark, unsettling, and sometimes baffling dilemma? In this book, author and physician Kathryn Butler addresses common misconceptions about mental illness in the church. She offers grace, relief, and practical help to Christians who feel shame, and she equips church leaders with the tools they need to extend Christ’s love to the vulnerable.
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Joni Eareckson Tada is celebrating her milestone 75th birthday on October 15, and you can help honor Joni in a special way.
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There are Bible verses you have to experience in order to understand.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and Ecclesiastes 7:3-4 fit that description perfectly: “Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us. A wise person thinks a lot about death…” Boy, that is rich; and it’s so right! Maybe there was a time when I thought God saved me to make my life happy and healthy and free of trouble, but not now. Not after I’ve suffered through quadriplegia and chronic pain. And I’ve experienced plenty of sadness, and I can say that Ecclesiastes is spot-on. Sorrow is better than laughing it up because times of sadness make us, well, they make us think about the larger issues of life. We reach for the Rock that is higher than us. In stormy trials and times of sadness, we look to see if our house is built on sand or a solid foundation. Ecclesiastes commends the person who thinks about death; that is, do we think a lot about eternity? Am I laying up treasures in heaven? Am I getting my soul fit for heaven [that is, am I actively engaged in my own sanctification]? I just don’t believe we think about these things were it not for sadness and suffering.
So, these two verses in Ecclesiastes 7 speak to me in a powerful way. And I know you’ve heard me share how, when I am in pain, I have to fight through my depression. My dark mood and sadness forces me to reach for the anchor. And Hebrews 6 describes that anchor it says, “Those who take hold of the hope set before us may be strongly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus our forerunner has entered on our behalf.” The hope I hold onto when I am struggling is none other than Jesus. If ever we doubt that God can work through our sadness; if ever we wonder if he is doing anything in our sorrows, we need only to look at the cross. The Father sent his Son Jesus to bear the world’s suffering so that we would have eternal life and hope in this life. Through the suffering of Christ, God achieved history’s most beautiful and magnificent act of grace. He saved us, giving us hope in the middle of all the sorrows and sadness that afflict us on this side of heaven. And friend, this is what I fight to remember when I am sad or discouraged because of my suffering.
I think that verse from Ecclesiastes bears repeating here. It says again: “Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us.” Does that verse remind you of something similar? Well, it should. 1 Peter 1:7 compares faith to gold that is refined by fire, “tested by fire” as the Apostle Peter writes. Yes, sadness and suffering has a refining influence on our faith. Our faith grows stronger and sturdier as we hold on to that anchor, the Lord Jesus. So, friend, when your next trial comes, I trust that your faith will tell you where to reach for the anchor. The Lord Jesus.
You know, I hope you’ve been encouraged by these insights, and you can read many more in an excellent little book called “What Does Depression Mean for My Faith?” It’s written by my friend, Dr. Kathryn Butler. She is a surgeon and one who is deeply acquainted with sorrow and sadness. And I so resonate with her insights. So, if you struggle to find meaning in your sadness and suffering, or if you know someone who struggles like you, visit joniradio.org and ask for Dr. Butler’s book. It’s your gift, waiting for you at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends