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BREAD FOR THE JOURNEY BLOG@ Rhythms of Grace: a Journey into RestSustenance for the journey into rest and peace
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THIS COLLECTION: A HOPE-FILLED YEAR  Yesterday was a rain-washed day when all life seemed to have leached from the land, leaving it gloom-laden and silent. A grey-brown day, which, coupled with the feeling of ‘wading through treacle’ over the past nine months, seeped into my soul and left me stranded for a while. Depression in its various forms, from mild to catatonic, is suffered by one in five people in the UK, at some point during their lifetime, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and mental health issues account for 17.5 million working days being lost annually. Dealing with full-blown depression is a big subject, and outside the scope of this blog post, but there are ways of dealing with low spirits before they take a hold… First, we need to take a rain-check (see blog post, A Hope Health-Check and the following posts on Overcoming Disappointment and Self-pity, and Free from Fear), and deal with any outstanding issues. Then we need to tackle the low mood... JOY-FILLED Joy is the opposite of depression. Depression as the word implies, presses down, contains and confines. Joy, on the other hand bubbles up and out, and frees and releases. Yesterday it took me a while, but eventually I remembered… joy is not something we have to get, it’s something we already have! The Holy Spirit lives in us, (if you’re not sure about this, check out the pages, The Holy Spirit and You and The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit). And joy is one of His characteristics [Galatians 5:22-23], therefore I have joy because I am filled with Him. I am joy-filled, therefore I can rejoice—I just have to learn how to release it. Jesus said : 'Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. [John 7:38-39] The Holy Spirit is supposed to flow out from us. We are supposed to live inside out. PRIMING THE PUMPRejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! [Philippians 4:4] As we choose to believe the Word and choose to rejoice, it’s like priming an old-fashioned water pump. It had to be pumped a little, (or a lot, depending on how rusty it was from lack of use) to get the water moving, but then the flow came, and refreshment gushed forth. How do we ‘prime the pump’? By smiling, singing, laughing, dancing, looking for things which make us glad, and turning that into praise and thanksgiving… And by talking sternly to our souls, like David: Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Saviour and my God. [Psalm 42:5] But let all who take refuge in You be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your name may rejoice in You. [Psalm 5:11] The difference between ‘priming the pump’ and manufacturing joy by self-effort, is the focus of our expectation. In the latter my eyes are on myself and my effort, in the former my eyes are on Jesus and His promises. Jesus came to… ...provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair (or heaviness). [Isaiah 61:3] Put on your dancing shoes, it’s time to let the river flow! THIS WEEK’S GRACE RHYTHM:
Begin to thank Him aloud for everything He has blessed you with: the big truths of your salvation, and the small details of your life. NEXT WEEK: NEW SERIES:CREATE SPACE FOR LIFE GET IN TOUCH!
[Photo credits: K Mitch Hodge (statue); Nathan Dumlao (boy); Estee Janssens (hello card) @ Unsplash, with thanks]
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