Devotions are written by Sharon Pierce previous Executive Director of the Women at the Well Ministries of PA
October 22
A Cloudy Season
Fall is here in vibrant color. The intense heat of summer is gone, and I am planting daffodils in anticipation of next spring. Each season has its high points, and I downplay the negative changes that also arrive. The four seasons have a cycle, and I look for the best in each one. That’s probably because I am the eternal optimist. I can find the good in just about any circumstance.
Like the weather, life also has its seasons, but they are not neatly defined and cyclical. We have an expectation of our seasons, though, and think they will follow a general order. We prepare for these changes as we have watched others transition through them. But even as we anticipate the next change and try to prepare, some events can throw our expectations out the window, and we are completely unprepared for the challenges that follow. I find myself in this season. This season doesn’t have a name, and that is part of my frustration. I would like to fit it neatly in a box.
It started with an unsettled feeling just below the surface. It slowly settled in over the past several months, and was further fueled by political unrest and the daily COVID-19 numbers count. Warnings, opinions and numbers were constantly changing and they seemed impossible to avoid.
This gloomy outlook was compounded by issues at home and in my extended family. I feel like I am drowning in events beyond my control. I read my Bible and pray, but peace evades me. I either get busy doing things that don’t really matter, or I seem paralyzed and do nothing. I eat compulsively and berate myself for the added weight it brings. I vow to do better the next day. Some days I do, and other days I munch from dawn 'til dusk.
A few days ago, I had a wake up call. I was scrolling the internet – a mistake, I know – when an article on depression caught my eye. There was a quiz to help people determine if they were depressed.
I thought, why not see what it says, so I answered the questions. Imagine my surprise when the result came back “mildly depressed”! What? I can’t be “mildly depressed”! I am the one who always sees the bright side. I look for the silver lining to every cloud. I know something good will come out of whatever is going on.
But it got me to thinking…… Is there a bit of pride in that attitude? I seem to think that I shouldn’t be feeling the way I do. I should know how to handle whatever comes my way. I felt convicted about my perception of myself.
Rather than thinking I am too good to be “mildly depressed” I should acknowledge the diagnosis may be correct. I remember a warning from Romans 12:3. “Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourself, measuring yourself by the faith God has given us..”
Maybe the better way to think about my emotional state is, “I am where I am, and that is okay. Where do I start to get better?” I revisited the article and read some suggestions for improving my outlook. It outlined some steps I had already considered, and that was encouraging.
For me, writing is therapy, and it turns out that journaling is listed as a good way to get back on track. But I know that more important than writing is spending more time in the Bible and making a consistent effort to draw closer to Jesus. I have learned that motivation comes after the action, so I can’t wait until I feel like reading and praying. I must determine to take the steps, and I know God’s Word has a promise for that. “Come close to God, and God will come close to you.” James 4:8 I’m counting on that!
A Cloudy Season
Fall is here in vibrant color. The intense heat of summer is gone, and I am planting daffodils in anticipation of next spring. Each season has its high points, and I downplay the negative changes that also arrive. The four seasons have a cycle, and I look for the best in each one. That’s probably because I am the eternal optimist. I can find the good in just about any circumstance.
Like the weather, life also has its seasons, but they are not neatly defined and cyclical. We have an expectation of our seasons, though, and think they will follow a general order. We prepare for these changes as we have watched others transition through them. But even as we anticipate the next change and try to prepare, some events can throw our expectations out the window, and we are completely unprepared for the challenges that follow. I find myself in this season. This season doesn’t have a name, and that is part of my frustration. I would like to fit it neatly in a box.
It started with an unsettled feeling just below the surface. It slowly settled in over the past several months, and was further fueled by political unrest and the daily COVID-19 numbers count. Warnings, opinions and numbers were constantly changing and they seemed impossible to avoid.
This gloomy outlook was compounded by issues at home and in my extended family. I feel like I am drowning in events beyond my control. I read my Bible and pray, but peace evades me. I either get busy doing things that don’t really matter, or I seem paralyzed and do nothing. I eat compulsively and berate myself for the added weight it brings. I vow to do better the next day. Some days I do, and other days I munch from dawn 'til dusk.
A few days ago, I had a wake up call. I was scrolling the internet – a mistake, I know – when an article on depression caught my eye. There was a quiz to help people determine if they were depressed.
I thought, why not see what it says, so I answered the questions. Imagine my surprise when the result came back “mildly depressed”! What? I can’t be “mildly depressed”! I am the one who always sees the bright side. I look for the silver lining to every cloud. I know something good will come out of whatever is going on.
But it got me to thinking…… Is there a bit of pride in that attitude? I seem to think that I shouldn’t be feeling the way I do. I should know how to handle whatever comes my way. I felt convicted about my perception of myself.
Rather than thinking I am too good to be “mildly depressed” I should acknowledge the diagnosis may be correct. I remember a warning from Romans 12:3. “Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourself, measuring yourself by the faith God has given us..”
Maybe the better way to think about my emotional state is, “I am where I am, and that is okay. Where do I start to get better?” I revisited the article and read some suggestions for improving my outlook. It outlined some steps I had already considered, and that was encouraging.
For me, writing is therapy, and it turns out that journaling is listed as a good way to get back on track. But I know that more important than writing is spending more time in the Bible and making a consistent effort to draw closer to Jesus. I have learned that motivation comes after the action, so I can’t wait until I feel like reading and praying. I must determine to take the steps, and I know God’s Word has a promise for that. “Come close to God, and God will come close to you.” James 4:8 I’m counting on that!
Through Sunshine or Clouds: 10/15/21
This week, I experienced an unexpected gift – three dump truck loads of dirt! They were truly a blessing, but along with that “gift” came manual labor I hadn’t anticipated. I live on a two acre plot which is composed of red clay, and neither grass nor flowers thrive in it. They struggle just to live, let alone grow. So I knew my lawn and flowers would be greatly enhanced if I combined this dirt with some hard work and enriched their soil.
The sun was shining as I grabbed my shovel and wheel barrel, and went to work. My head was filled with visions of how I would move the dirt, smooth it, and plant grass seed. I could see a beautiful yard in my mind’s eye, and I was ready to make it happen!
I worked hard most of the day, but the progress was slower than I planned. I was tired and sore by late afternoon, and I realized that another day would have to be devoted to this project if I wanted a transformation.
I re-worked my schedule for the next day, thinking another day would get the result I wanted. I went to bed tired, but happy with the work that was done, and ready to invest in the yard again tomorrow.
I was greeted the next day with a gray sky and a whisper of wind. The task was the same as before, but without the sun, I had a harder time getting motivated. Why do gray skies bring out the melancholy in me? There is just something about the sun shining that inspires me, while clouds seem to sap my strength.
Finishing my coffee before dragging out, I recalled a quote from John Henry Jowett , pastor in the early 1900’s. He said the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives adds sunshine to the daylight. As I pondered that, I remembered Psalm 34:5, “Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.”
Pulling on my work boots, another favorite passage came to mind, Colossians 1:12-14, “Always be thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to His people, who live in the light. For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.”
Isn’t it amazing how meditating on the Word of God can change our whole outlook on whatever the day brings? Lord, help us to look to You as the sunlight in our days. We know that You are always working, sunshine or overcast skies, and leading us on the path You have ordained.
This week, I experienced an unexpected gift – three dump truck loads of dirt! They were truly a blessing, but along with that “gift” came manual labor I hadn’t anticipated. I live on a two acre plot which is composed of red clay, and neither grass nor flowers thrive in it. They struggle just to live, let alone grow. So I knew my lawn and flowers would be greatly enhanced if I combined this dirt with some hard work and enriched their soil.
The sun was shining as I grabbed my shovel and wheel barrel, and went to work. My head was filled with visions of how I would move the dirt, smooth it, and plant grass seed. I could see a beautiful yard in my mind’s eye, and I was ready to make it happen!
I worked hard most of the day, but the progress was slower than I planned. I was tired and sore by late afternoon, and I realized that another day would have to be devoted to this project if I wanted a transformation.
I re-worked my schedule for the next day, thinking another day would get the result I wanted. I went to bed tired, but happy with the work that was done, and ready to invest in the yard again tomorrow.
I was greeted the next day with a gray sky and a whisper of wind. The task was the same as before, but without the sun, I had a harder time getting motivated. Why do gray skies bring out the melancholy in me? There is just something about the sun shining that inspires me, while clouds seem to sap my strength.
Finishing my coffee before dragging out, I recalled a quote from John Henry Jowett , pastor in the early 1900’s. He said the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives adds sunshine to the daylight. As I pondered that, I remembered Psalm 34:5, “Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.”
Pulling on my work boots, another favorite passage came to mind, Colossians 1:12-14, “Always be thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to His people, who live in the light. For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.”
Isn’t it amazing how meditating on the Word of God can change our whole outlook on whatever the day brings? Lord, help us to look to You as the sunlight in our days. We know that You are always working, sunshine or overcast skies, and leading us on the path You have ordained.
