When discouragements overwhelm you, remember that God’s hope is stronger than any cruelty you may face.
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Navigating Depression: Hope for Heavy Hearts – This humble booklet is by no means a comprehensive study of depression; rather, it is a collection of reflections and lessons that Joni has learned in her long battle against the thick fog of dark emotions. It’s her hope that the following insights will help equip you to be more than a conqueror in your fight to find emotional and mental health.
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SHAUNA: Welcome to Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. These days, Joni’s trying to catch up. Listen in as she explains.
JONI: It’s what I’ve been saying lately when friends ask how I’m doing. Like, “Hey, Joni, what’s going on? How ya doing?!” And my frequent reply is these days, “I’m doing great; I’m catching up.” And I just bet I’m describing you, as of late. Could there be deadlines screaming at you? Deadlines like: “Change this diaper.” “Finish that paper.” “Make that sale.” “Rush to your next appointment.” Gotta hurry. Get it done! Get it out now! Deadlines are like little tyrants, aren’t they? Leaving us exhausted by the end of the day. And you know how it is, when all the deadlines you missed just roll over to the next morning. That makes for a great night’s sleep! But there are other tyrants. Maybe an overbearing boss. A rebellious child. An angry spouse. Or a nitpicky neighbor. People like that get on your nerves, in your face, and sometimes, they show up at your door. They ambush, they kill the joy before your morning has barely started. But there are also other tyrants that insist, “Hey, pay attention to me now.” Tyrannies like – the money is gone. The marriage has failed. The cancer is back. The business has closed. The loan was denied and there’s no hope. No way out. It’s over. It’s done. And these things can choke the hope out of living.
But! But, in those tyrannical, loveless, hopeless moments, God sings. The God of all hope lands a knockout blow to discouragement when He happily says in 1 Corinthians 15, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” Yep, that verse has bolstered my spirits like nothing else when it comes to the tyranny of the urgent. Because sometimes you feel like you’re dying in a pile, when discouraging problems and people seem to overwhelm. But thankfully, Jesus is not immune to our daily deaths. He just sings, “Death, you have no victory; you cannot harm or hurt; you have no sting!” And Jesus sings because he knows that His promise of victory is not a, you know, “wait ‘til you’re really dead and six feet under” sort of promise. Oh no, the promise of victory is now. He rescued David from the pit of despair more than once. He delivered Elijah when He wondered what’s the point of living? Elijah was so down, he felt like ending it all. And then, look at Paul, haunted by the many Christ followers that he murdered. He called himself the chief of all sinners, so, you can tell Paul never quite got over it. Well, God stepped in, guaranteeing him no condemnation; nothing would ever separate Paul from God’s love. And then, after Peter blatantly denied Christ to His face; after he plummeted into despair, the Lord assured him of a new birth into a living hope that would never ever fade. And He sealed our claim to abundant life in His Son Jesus.
Oh, friend, my light and momentary afflictions – whether deadlines or dead ends and, yes, even deadbeats – my problems will amount to nothing in heaven. I will look in my rearview mirror, and the tyrannies of earth will seem like a couple of restless nights in a bad motel. Death will have no victory over me. Nor will it sting.
SHAUNA: So, friend, no deadly foe can ever harm the life to which God has called you. You are on the victory side. And to that we can all say Amen! Go to joniradio.org and let us know how we can pray for you. Remember, that’s joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends