Learning to be Thankful for Sadness

This past few weeks have been a very challenging time for me spiritually. I’m not sure if it is the change of seasons, the cold that I’ve been fighting or my pending birthday (a quarter of a century this year) that has me down, but I have definitely been fighting a spirit of depression and sadness this past month. Can any of you relate to this feeling?

As I fight to stay close to Jesus and lean on the people I love to encourage me and lift me up, I am reminded that Satan often uses sadness and depression to pull people away from the Lord, the people they love and often turns the sadness into inward attacks on ourselves.

My prayer is that if any of you are struggling through the same season of hardship, sadness, or depression that I am, or your own personal battle that the LORD would renew your spirit, that he would LIFT YOU UP ON WINGS LIKE EAGLES, that the JOY of the LORD would be your STRENGTH.

We don’t have to walk through the mud and muck alone. Jesus wants to come besides you and walk with you through the storm. He’ll even carry you when you loose the strength to walk. He never gets tired of walking along side us, it is actually his greatest joy. He LONGS for companionship with us. So no matter how long you have to keep fighting, you are never alone.

"Draw close to God and he will draw close to you." - James 4:8

After all, we as Christians know that our Savior has already overcome the world. We don’t have to fight our battles alone, because God has already won them all. There is nothing that can pull us away from his eternal love and protection over our lives.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39

As the bible says, weeping may last for the night, but JOY comes in the morning. I am praying that the Lord uses this season of sadness to strengthen and renew my spirit and I come out of this more JOYFUL than ever and more prepared to serve my King.

I am going to choose to praise the Lord for this season of sadness, because this is where the Lord wants me to be for now. I do believe that this season will bless and grown my life, that it will be a benefit to me in the future! I refuse to let Satan win!

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you. - 1 Peter 5:6-7