Do you ever find yourself “in the pits”? You know, it’s related to being down in the dumps, that miserable condition when it seems as if God is gone, no one cares, and everything is going wrong.
Last week some ladies and I talked about getting out of the pits. One of the Psalms says God takes our feet out of the miry clay and sets us on solid ground but we agreed that our feet don’t always cooperate. Sometimes we drag our heels and are not exactly easy to pull from our pits. When I am feeling blue, when it seems everyone in the world has stopped praying, when the pits are so deep there is no light at all in any direction, the things that help me the most are very basic. If I can just grab hold of some simple truth, through it God begins to grab hold of me. Soon He is able to pull me out.
So here is a simple formula for getting out of the pits. It is in the form of an acrostic which makes it easier to remember -- (because when you are down, memory is one of the first things to fail)...
P - stands for PRAISE. Seems so easy, but remember, in the pits God seems absent. It is difficult to praise “nothing.” However, Hebrews 13 says He never really leaves or forsakes me. It is just the -sense- of His presence that can sometimes be lost. Since Psalm 22:3 says the Lord inhabits the praises of His people, praise will restore it. I begin with the alphabet. A is for almighty God; B is for His benevolence; C is that He created me; D, He is my defender; E reminds me He is eternal; F that I can call Him Father; G that He is good; and so on through to Z, He is zealous for me. By then, there is light above the pits.
I - stands for INTERCESSION. That means speaking on behalf of others. When I am in the pits, I am usually so focused on myself and my problems that I forget there is a world of needy people out there, most with far greater needs than mine. Besides, many of them are unable or unwilling to talk to God themselves. However, I can intercede. So I begin simply to tell God about the troubles of those around me. I ask Him to have mercy on them and give them His peace. I ask Him to enable them to see light too, so they will look up to Him and seek His face.
T - stands for two words, THINK AND THANK. There is one thought that guarantees a step up out of the pits. It is this: God has not given me what I deserve or rewarded me according to my sins. If He did that, my lot would be far worse. In fact, I would not draw another breath. Instead, He has shown mercy and offered me the gift of eternal life -- putting the punishment I deserved on His Son. That thought always brings thanks to my heart: thanks for Jesus Christ who died for me so my sins could be forgiven; thanks for His powerful life that conquered sin and death; thanks that Life now resides in me. Because of His life, I also can conquer sin and will one day overcome death and live forever with Him. Thanks opens the window of heaven and lets the Sonshine beam into my pits - a beam upon which I can climb up and out.
S - stands for SING. If all else fails, this one never does. Amazing -- because my voice would sour milk. But God doesn’t seem to mind. He says “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord.” And when I start to sing, not the usual hit tunes but music based on His Word, joy floods my soul and the pits are far beneath me.
After we ladies talked through the P I T S, we joined hands and actually praised, interceded, and gave thanks. By the time we concluded in song, any discouragement had left. God set our feet back on solid ground.
Next time the blues hit, the pity-party starts, or whatever puts any of us in the pits, God will remind us of this simple formula, I’m sure, and use P I T S to lift us out of the pits!
Showing posts with label self-pity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label self-pity. Show all posts
Monday, September 8, 2014
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Pity Parties .................................... Parables 046
“I’m quitting.”
I say that several times while having a pity-party. Sometimes I think that I want to escape the endless routine of dishes, laundry, and mending. Life is just too much. Or the phone rings too often, or not often enough, or the responsibilities add up, or people don’t treat me right, or whatever the issue - the blame goes out and discouragement comes in.
In the middle of one of these pity-parties, I decided to tackle the topic of discouragement.
The first thought, just from looking at the word, is that a person who is “discouraged” must be the opposite of someone who “has courage.” A verse I’d memorized about courage came to mind, “The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.” (Proverbs 28:1)
Hmm. That is interesting. People who have something on their conscience, who are guilty about something, can feel afraid, even when there is nothing to be afraid of. But what does that verse have to do with me?
My mind returned to discouragement . . . my lack of courage. Where does it come from? When I feel like fleeing or running away, is there something to run from? Are there newer, bigger problems, or just the same old ones? I had to admit that this time the problems were the same as always, or at least similar.
Then I asked myself, are there more difficulties than usual? Again, I had to admit not. But the same problems didn’t bother me yesterday.
That verse from Proverbs was bugging me. But discouragement isn’t fear, I argued. So I looked up discouragement in the dictionary. It said, “to weaken the courage or lessen the confidence . . . ” Sounded like fear to me.
It is amazing the excuses that I came up with before I decided to quit making excuses. I needed to examine myself and see if there was some guilt that made me feel like running away from home. Had I allowed something in my life that God called wicked? Sure enough, it was easy to recall, as soon as I was willing to remember . . . I had responded sinfully to someone, and needed to put that right. My desire to flee was rooted in me, not in my problems.
It is never fun apologizing to God or to people, but God always forgives when we genuinely confess, and people are usually gracious enough to say something like “I never even noticed, but I forgive you anyway.” Both responded faithfully.
The feelings of wanting to quit left immediately. It hurt to hit them at their roots, but the discomfort of admitting I was wrong was worth the results that followed.
Being discouraged, feeling sorry for myself, and wanting to quit are not my idea of fun. In fact, I enjoy my work, even enjoy tackling the variety of problems that come my way.
Being bold as a lion is exciting too. It makes pity-parties lose all their charm.
I say that several times while having a pity-party. Sometimes I think that I want to escape the endless routine of dishes, laundry, and mending. Life is just too much. Or the phone rings too often, or not often enough, or the responsibilities add up, or people don’t treat me right, or whatever the issue - the blame goes out and discouragement comes in.
In the middle of one of these pity-parties, I decided to tackle the topic of discouragement.
The first thought, just from looking at the word, is that a person who is “discouraged” must be the opposite of someone who “has courage.” A verse I’d memorized about courage came to mind, “The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.” (Proverbs 28:1)
Hmm. That is interesting. People who have something on their conscience, who are guilty about something, can feel afraid, even when there is nothing to be afraid of. But what does that verse have to do with me?
My mind returned to discouragement . . . my lack of courage. Where does it come from? When I feel like fleeing or running away, is there something to run from? Are there newer, bigger problems, or just the same old ones? I had to admit that this time the problems were the same as always, or at least similar.
Then I asked myself, are there more difficulties than usual? Again, I had to admit not. But the same problems didn’t bother me yesterday.
That verse from Proverbs was bugging me. But discouragement isn’t fear, I argued. So I looked up discouragement in the dictionary. It said, “to weaken the courage or lessen the confidence . . . ” Sounded like fear to me.
It is amazing the excuses that I came up with before I decided to quit making excuses. I needed to examine myself and see if there was some guilt that made me feel like running away from home. Had I allowed something in my life that God called wicked? Sure enough, it was easy to recall, as soon as I was willing to remember . . . I had responded sinfully to someone, and needed to put that right. My desire to flee was rooted in me, not in my problems.
It is never fun apologizing to God or to people, but God always forgives when we genuinely confess, and people are usually gracious enough to say something like “I never even noticed, but I forgive you anyway.” Both responded faithfully.
The feelings of wanting to quit left immediately. It hurt to hit them at their roots, but the discomfort of admitting I was wrong was worth the results that followed.
Being discouraged, feeling sorry for myself, and wanting to quit are not my idea of fun. In fact, I enjoy my work, even enjoy tackling the variety of problems that come my way.
Being bold as a lion is exciting too. It makes pity-parties lose all their charm.
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