Reset Password
Reset Link Sent
| Blogs > conisings > All of me for HE! |
|
Recovering Joy by Giving to Others When those who struggle with depression begin to recover faith and hope, a desire to give will gradually increase. Instead of giving up, which keeps them from being what God wants them to be, they can grow to be wrapped up in giving for the sake of others. As they begin to act on the desire to give, a deep sense of joy will begin to fill their hearts. Nothing brings more satisfaction in this life than sacrificial giving. The principle that "it is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35) was stressed by Jesus in both His life and His words. It is one of the most radical ironies of life that cuts against the grain of a culture that promotes the god of self-indulgence. Giving can be as simple as allowing a car to enter the flow of traffic ahead of us. It can be helping a neighbor who is recovering from surgery. It can include listening to our read a story at bedtime or going to work for no other reason than to provide for our family. At times, it may call for giving notice to the people who use and/or malign our dignity that there will be consequences if they continue to cross the boundaries of love. Giving never passively permits that which regularly compromises what is best for others and ourselves. For example, one wife learned that it was loving to give her husband consequences for his involvement in pornography. She still felt despair, at times. But rather than getting depressed in order to hide from hope, her life began to sparkle with a joy that came from giving her husband the kind of honest ultimatums that would get his attention and help him deal with his sin. Depending on the situation, giving involves offering people a mixture of gentleness and strength, which affords them an opportunity to encounter God's character. To give at this level requires nothing short of a miraculous work of God in our hearts. Only when we are amazed by and grateful for the ultimate example of giving--God giving His only as a sacrifice to redeem us from our sins (Jn. 3:16)--will we give others a sample of God's gentleness and strength despite the risks of attack or desertion. It is in Jesus, God's , that we see the Provider of our souls. In Him we see God involving Himself in the ultimate act of self-sacrifice to meet our deepest need for forgiveness and life. By dying for our sin and rising from the dead to confirm the success of His mission, Jesus showed His power and right to give spiritual well-being and confident hope to all who receive Him (Jn. 1:12). As God captures more and more of our appreciation and confidence, we will discover a rich sense of honor and value that comes from being used by Him in the battle against Satan. It has always been Satan's goal to smear and distort God's reputation. It's thrilling to know that we can play a vital role in setting the record straight by revealing to others the kind of being God really is, so that they can be drawn to Him as well (Ps. 73:2  . The process of recovering hope through despair, recovering faith through doubt, and recovering joy through giving should be taken as a biblical frame of reference and not as a rigidly followed blueprint. Life is rarely that straightforward or easy. The process is actually a way of life that one gradually learns to develop with the help of the Spirit of God. The process doesn't eliminate pain or fear. It doesn't guarantee that our circumstances will improve. Only heaven offers us those options (Rev. 21:4). It does, however, offer the opportunity to live more in touch with our built-in hunger for our heavenly Father--a hunger He longs to satisfy--and to develop a thriving passion to give. It's often a peculiar process. Before it can get better it must often get worse. But those who learn to put their hope in God "will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" (Isa. 40:31). Blessings, Coni 
|
|||
|
When we feel sorry for ourselves, and our situation is all we can see, we should reach out to the hurting and touch another. The pains of this world grow very dim when we reach out to others. Didn't I hear that in a song years ago? GBY
| ||
|
May the Lord Bless you and keep you, May the Lord make His face shine upon you And be gracious to you, May the Lord life His countenance upon you And give you much, much peace God Bless You, sister, keep up the good fight, cheers May the Lord bless you and keep you
|
×
×