From a talk given by Dr. James T. Stout
If only I'd spent more time with my kids...
If only I'd not pushed so hard for the divorce...
If only I'd written him more letters before he died...
If only I hadn't compromised my morals...
If only I hadn't lost my temper so badly...
If only I hadn't smoked that first marijuana joint...
If only I could forgive myself!
Are you bothered by an "if only?" Are you weighed down with guilt over something in your past? Does your conscience torment you? Can you identify with King David who centuries ago penned these wrenching words from the 51st Psalm, "my sin is ever before me"?
The writer of the 130th Psalm certainly could resonate with King David’s anguish. Listen
to his cry: "Out of the depths have I called to Thee, oh Lord; Lord Hear my cry. Let thy
ears be attentive to my plea for mercy."
Maybe it was a great failure in his past.
Maybe it was some horrible sin he'd committed.
Perhaps it was just the build-up of repeated wrongs.
Can you imagine the thoughts that might have ravaged his mind?
“How can I ever pick up the pieces again? At night I can't sleep because of the echoes from my past. During the day I try to keep busy to avoid the awful regrets, the painful remorse. But the memories won't fade. At times the regret of it all sweeps in and almost overwhelms me. I vacillate between aching remorse and utter self-hate. Tears bring no release. Can I ever erase these memories? Could I ever start my life over again, fresh?”
I suppose the psalmist grasped at almost anything that would salve his crippled conscience. Maybe at first he blamed others for his problem. Maybe he tried to rationalize that what he'd done really wasn't so bad after all. Perhaps he used his guilty feelings as an excuse to plunge into further sin and rebellion. If you’ve ever dieted, you know how that works. You slip and eat an extra roll. Then you say, "well, I've gone this far...might as well let out all the stops...pass the apple pie alá mode.” Probably there were many times when he almost gave up and kicked his life in neutral gear to drift into mental oblivion of his past. Or maybe during his darkest moments when he could see no hope for a new start his depression reached rock bottom. Perhaps in those lonely times he considered taking his life. Maybe you're having great difficulty closing the door on your past. You can’t God's forgiveness and you can’t forgive yourself. If that's the case, then I believe the words of the 130th Psalm can be especially meaningful to you.
How did the psalmist find release from the guilt that tortured him? He took four specific steps to find freedom from the burden of his remorse.
I. HE CAME TO GOD ABOUT HIS FEELINGS OF GUILT
First, he came to God with his problem, "Out of the depths have I called Thee, O Lord: Lord hear my cry." I have a friend in Miami who had a severe guilt problem. He went from one psychiatrist to another trying to find relief from his mental anguish. No luck. Finally, he turned to God. Got things "off his chest." Aired his feelings. Squared things with Him. Today he's a different person. I don't care how "bad" you feel or how many times you've failed, come to God. Tell Him you're "hurting." He can handle your doubts, your feelings of failure, your loss of hope.
II. HE ADMITTED THAT BASICALLY HE'D DISOBEYED GOD
The second step the psalmist took was to assume personal responsibility for the cause of his guilty feelings. Catch what he says, "Let Thy ears be attentive to my plea for mercy. If Thou, Lord, shouldest keep account of sins, who, Lord, could hold up his head?" He was willing to admit, "Lord, underneath it all I've been wrong. My attitude toward difficult circumstances and toward others, and my actions were wrong. I'm to blame." He doesn't look for excuses. He takes the ultimate blame for his actions.
Dr. Hobart Mowrer, a noted research psychologist and former president of the American Psychological Association, has made some startling discoveries in the field of psychiatry. Mowrer believes that the majority of patients in mental hospitals are there not because they're organically ill but because of their failure to cope with their guilt.
Psychoanalysis, as helpful as it is in understanding oneself, does not eliminate guilt. It shifts it. Often classic psychiatry seeks to delve into one's past to pin the blame on parents, grand-parents, school, church or adverse circumstances...instead of the individual himself. Mowrer says: "a patient's problems are moral, not medical. He suffers from real guilt, not guilt feelings (false guilt). He is not a victim of his conscience but a violator of it. He must stop blaming others and accept responsibility for his own poor behavior. Problems will be solved, not be ventilation of feelings but rather by confession of sin."
Mowrer has backed his theories up with solid proof. In two Illinois state mental hospitals, he put his ideas into action. He dealt with patients who'd been hospitalized for years and had undergone extensive psychoanalysis. These people were classified as "sick" with some form of psychosis or another. Many were considered "incurable." In a matter of weeks, Mowrer found that the patients' problems were basically due to their own making, their own bad attitudes or actions. Their guilts surfaced in many ways, manifesting numerous "deep psychological problems." Some had been involved in immoral activities or ethical compromises.
But once patients were confronted with this and were willing to assume personal responsibility for their actions, dramatic healing and restoration occurred that was unparalleled in either institution.
Dr. Karl Meninger, founder of the "Meninger Clinic" in Topeka, Kansas, authored the bestseller, "Whatever Became of Sin." The point of his book? Simply that we've got to realize we can't shift the blame for our guilt onto others for our wrong actions. We have a free will. We must come to grips with our own culpability. We must be willing to say "I was wrong. Underneath it all, I'm responsible. Basically, I've rebelled against God's will for my life. I'm to blame."
To be freed from your guilt feelings, you must face up to your part in causing your problem.
III. HE REPENTED
The third step the psalmist took was to repent, "If Thou, oh Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand. But there is forgiveness with Thee that Thou mayest be feared."
The writer of Proverbs put it this way, "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper but he who confesses them and forsakes them will obtain mercy."
Janet Dyer is a friend of mine. She's a Christian. An alcoholic, working her way to being an ex-alcoholic. She's struggled with her drinking problem for years. Recently she faced the fact that her habit was not a direct result of the influences of her alcoholic father. She came to grips that her excessive indulgence was also caused by her own decisions to drown her frustrations with alcohol. Her decisions.
What did she do? She repented. She made a U-turn. An about-face. She was willing to re-structure her life. She dropped some friends that were negative influences on her. She stopped visiting the lounges she'd formerly frequented. She began spending time with several other Christian women who could help her when she was in a vulnerable moment. Today's she's found freedom. She's a different person. But it started with her being willing to make a mental U-turn, surrender her life and problem to God and get involved with positive, safe people whom He sent her way.
If you want to find freedom from your guilt, you've got to repent, make a clean break with your wrong past actions and attitudes, and turn to God and safe people for comfort, guidance and instruction.
You say, "I've tried those things. I've come to God dozens of times. I've told him how sorry I was. I've admitted I was wrong. I've tried to change. But I still feel guilty. I can't stop hating myself. What can I do? If you're a Christian and can't seem to forgive yourself, there may be some valid reasons for
your feelings.
If you've confessed and repented of your sin and still are unable to experience God's peace, then maybe you're listening to some lies of Satan. The Book of Revelation calls Satan "the accuser of the brethren." It is he who will put thoughts in your mind like: "You don't think God could forgive you after what you’ve done? You can't make a new start. You've been too bad for God to forgive you."
Maybe you can't pardon yourself because you're living by your feelings instead of what God says in His Word. Self-hate. Self-condemnation. A relentless desire to punish yourself for having failed.
You say, "How can I learn to accept myself again?" Do what the psalmist did.
Step One–Tell God how you feel. Tell Him you want to accept his forgiveness and forgive yourself.
Step Two–Admit you've been the cause of your guilty feelings.
Step Three–Be willing to make the necessary changes in your life that His Spirit points out.
Step Four–Trust what God says instead of your own guilty feelings.
IV. HE TRUSTED GOD'S WORD OF FORGIVENESS RATHER THAN HIS OWN
FEELINGS OF GUILT
The psalmist wrote, "I wait for the Lord. My soul waits and in His Word I hope."
The Bible is called the Word of God because it is His written Word to his people. Hundreds of times checkered throughout the Old and New Testaments, God promises his never - ending, love and mercy. Here are some of the Old Testament promises that the psalmist may have leaned on as he penned the 130th Psalm:
"As far as the east is from the west so far does He remove our transgressions from us." (Ps. 103:12)
"Come now let us reason together saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool." (Is.1:18)
"I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more." (Jer. 31:34)
"I even I am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake and will not remember thy sins."(Is. 43.25)
The New Testament's also loaded with God's promises of forgiveness:
"If we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 Jn. 1:9)
All these promises of God's love and forgiveness were fleshed out when God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ. Christ went to his death on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins and mine.
The Cross was God's way of saying "I'm willing to go this far to prove my love for you...to restore you to Myself...there's nothing more you can do to earn my love, my forgiveness." That's why Jesus cried from the Cross, "It is finished." There's nothing more you can do to earn God’s forgiveness of your sins. Christ shed His precious blood so that God could forgive you. That's why John the Baptist said of Him, "Behold, the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world."
When I was student at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, one of my professors had a leather bullwhip hung on the corner wall of his office. Sometimes students would seek out this professor when they were discouraged. He'd say "What's the matter?" "Well, 'prof,' I've just had a bad fight with my wife. It was my fault. I just can't forgive myself. I feel terrible inside." The wise scholar would ask, "Have you confessed it to God?" "Yes." "And you've still found no relief for your feelings?" "That's right...I still can't forgive myself. I believe that God's forgiven me, but I still hate myself." The professor would say, "Let's look at what God says about this in the Bible." He'd turn to
some verses of forgiveness. Then he'd say, "God says if you've confessed your sins and repented of them, he promises to forgive you, doesn't he?" "Yes." "And yet you still can't forgive yourself?" "Right."
Then I suggest that you've got one or two choices to make.
"Either you can believe what God says about His forgiveness...or you don't. Simple as that. You can walk out of my office believing God's forgiven you...and start loving yourself,... or you can leave here bogged down in self-hate again. If you decide not to take God at His Word, why not physically beat yourself. It'll work better than mentally torturing yourself!" Then he'd take the leather whip down from the wall, "Here, use this...flagellate yourself! It'll make you feel even worse!"
The psalmist had to trust what God said. Instead of his own feelings of unworthiness. If he let them influence him, he'd sink under the weight of his overburdened conscience.
The Harvard psychologist, William James, devised a sound psychological method: the James–Lange Theory. If you act as if something is true about yourself, you'll soon feel that way and actually become that way. If you're a coward and want to be brave, act as if you are brave. Soon you'll begin to feel brave and be brave.
The same principle holds true in areas of human guilt. If you've confessed and repented of your past yet still find it hard to forgive yourself, act as if you've been forgiven...take God's promises of forgiveness literally and act as if they're true. This is faith in action. It takes practice. And it works.
When your feelings of guilt start to surface, claim God's promises. Act as if you are forgiven.
It doesn't' matter how badly you've messed up your life. Or how many times you've sinned. Or how awful your sin. God's in the business of re-cycling lives. The Bible says that there's only one sin that God will not forgive; "the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit." In essence, this is one’s final rejection of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
God loves you. He wants to forgive you. He wants to give you a new start.
If you're having a hard time forgiving yourself you've got one of several choices to make. You can continue blaming the circumstances that "caused you to sin." You can try to rationalize that what you've done really isn't "that bad" and try to forget by shoving it under the carpet of your mind.
Or you can follow the four steps that the psalmist did. You can come to God. Admit your wrongdoing. Be willing to make a U-turn. Take God at his Word that He really will forgive you.
How about it? How are you going to handle your guilt problem? The choice is yours.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Planning, Goal-setting, God and You.
Question:
What should I say to a friend who believes the Bible teaches that it’s wrong to make plans? She
quotes Jesus’ words as proof that Christians ought not to set goals or make plans, Therefore do
not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its
own. (Matt. 6:34 NIV)? My friend points out the admonitions about planning that are repeated
elsewhere in Scripture such as in James 4:13-14,
Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow...Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’
Because of these teachings, she will not make any plans for tomorrow even like accepting an
invitation to come to my house for dinner. It’s very frustrating.
Answer:
Your friend has latched onto an unfortunate translation of the Greek. The verb translated in
the King James translation as “take no thought” is better translated in the New International
Version translation as “do not worry.” Jesus is not advising us to stop making plans and setting goals.
He is advising us not to worry about anything, including plans or coming events. You might remind your friend of Bible passages that put planning and goal-setting in proper balance between faith
and anxiety, between planning and trusting God for outcomes.
In fact, Jesus had goals and made plans. Dr. Luke records, “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51) Jesus made other plans as well. For instance, Matt.6:17-19 and Luke 22:2-13 show that Jesus had already made prior arrangements with the owner of the house where he was to eat the Passover with his disciples.
The Apostle Paul was constantly setting goals and making plans. In Romans 15:20-24, Paul wrote,
It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation...But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions and since I have been longing for many years to see you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain...(Romans 15:20-24 NIV)
Rev. Steve Brown of Key life Ministries agrees that we Christians ought not to be excessively
anxious. But he also believes in the importance of goals and plans. He notes, “Needs are not met
by accident. Things just don’t happen in a church. They happen by planning and organization. It
sounds very spiritual to say that the Holy Spirit will do everything needful, but it just isn’t true in
a biblical sense. On almost every page of the gospels we see Jesus as a Man with a plan.”
Isn’t it noteworthy that our salvation was all part of God’s plan? Ephesians 1:11 states,
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.
Here are a few Bible Statements about Planning & Goal Setting:
Any enterprise is built by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense, and profits
wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts. (Proverbs 24:3-4)
Get good advice and you will succeed; don’t go charging into battle without a plan. (Proverbs 20:18)
We should make plans–counting on God to direct us. (Proverbs 16:8)
We can make our plans, but the final outcome is in God’s hands. (Proverbs 16:1)
Where there is no vision, the people perish. (Proverbs 29:18)
A sensible man watches for problems ahead and prepares to meet them. The simpleton never
looks, and suffers the consequences. (Proverbs 27:12)
Any enterprise is built by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense, and profits
wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts. (Proverbs 24:3,4)
Plans go wrong with too few counselors; many counselors bring success. (Proverbs 15:22)
Ask the Lord to bless your plans, and you will be successful in carrying them out. (Proverbs 16:3)
David said, Because the hand of the Lord was upon me and he gave me understanding in all the
details of the plan. David also said to Solomon, his son, Be strong and courageous, and do the
work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail
you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished. – Chronicles 28:19-20 NIV
Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to
the Lord; trust him and he will do this–Psalm 37:4,5
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)
The Dangers of Not Setting Goals and Planning
I Shot My Arrow
“I shot my arrow into the sky.
I hit no thing. How did it fly.
I hit no thing for I did not try.
I just shot my arrow into the sky.”
-Author Unknown
Spring Is Past
“Spring is past,
Summer is gone,
Winter is here,
And my song that I was meant to sing
Is still unsung.
I have spent my days
Stringing and unstringing my instrument”
-Unknown Oriental Poet
“For all the sad works of tongue and pen,
The saddest of these: It might have been!”
-John Greenleaf Wittier
“I’d rather attempt to do something great and fail, than attempt to do nothing and succeed!”
-Author Unknown
The Benefits of Planning & Goal-Setting
“Behold, the turtle-he makes progress only when he sticks his neck out!”
-J.B. Conant, former President of Harvard University.
“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore!”
-Author Unknown
“To do and dare–not what you would, but what is right.
Never to hesitate over what is within your power,
but boldly to grasp what lies before you.
Not in the flight of fancy, but only in the deed
there is freedom.
Away from timidity and reluctance!
Out in the storm of event, sustained only by the
Commandment of God and your faith,
And freedom will receive your spirit with exultation.”
-Dietrich Bonfoeffer, Lutheran Pastor
“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or
where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is
actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly;
who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotions,
and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place
shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
-Theodore Roosevelt
“Man’s finest hour, his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear, is that moment he has worked his
heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle, victorious.”
-Vince Lombardi, Head Football Coach, Green Bay Packers
Suggested Steps for Setting Goals and Making Plans
1) Crystalize your thinking into a focused goal.
What is it you want to do? Boil it down in your thinking. Discuss your ideas with friends. Pray about it. Streamline it. Then, write it down! It’s easy to forget mental or even discussed ideas, but written goals remind us and keep us on course. Divide your goals into high priority and low priority.
2) Develop a concrete, measurable plan of action and a specific, deadline for achieving your goals.
Nothing great happens by accident. Success requires specific action!
A plan of action bridges the gap between wish and fulfillment.
Anticipate and identify obstacles and devise solutions.
Keep a notebook of your plan of goal(s), plan(s) of action and deadline(s).
“To every man there comes in his lifetime that special moment when he is figuratively tapped on
the shoulder and offered that chance to do a very special thing, unique to him and fitted to his
talents.”
-Sir Winston Churchill
Therefore, “Carpe Diem” (“Seize the Day”)!...Go For it!
What should I say to a friend who believes the Bible teaches that it’s wrong to make plans? She
quotes Jesus’ words as proof that Christians ought not to set goals or make plans, Therefore do
not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its
own. (Matt. 6:34 NIV)? My friend points out the admonitions about planning that are repeated
elsewhere in Scripture such as in James 4:13-14,
Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow...Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’
Because of these teachings, she will not make any plans for tomorrow even like accepting an
invitation to come to my house for dinner. It’s very frustrating.
Answer:
Your friend has latched onto an unfortunate translation of the Greek. The verb translated in
the King James translation as “take no thought” is better translated in the New International
Version translation as “do not worry.” Jesus is not advising us to stop making plans and setting goals.
He is advising us not to worry about anything, including plans or coming events. You might remind your friend of Bible passages that put planning and goal-setting in proper balance between faith
and anxiety, between planning and trusting God for outcomes.
In fact, Jesus had goals and made plans. Dr. Luke records, “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51) Jesus made other plans as well. For instance, Matt.6:17-19 and Luke 22:2-13 show that Jesus had already made prior arrangements with the owner of the house where he was to eat the Passover with his disciples.
The Apostle Paul was constantly setting goals and making plans. In Romans 15:20-24, Paul wrote,
It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation...But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions and since I have been longing for many years to see you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain...(Romans 15:20-24 NIV)
Rev. Steve Brown of Key life Ministries agrees that we Christians ought not to be excessively
anxious. But he also believes in the importance of goals and plans. He notes, “Needs are not met
by accident. Things just don’t happen in a church. They happen by planning and organization. It
sounds very spiritual to say that the Holy Spirit will do everything needful, but it just isn’t true in
a biblical sense. On almost every page of the gospels we see Jesus as a Man with a plan.”
Isn’t it noteworthy that our salvation was all part of God’s plan? Ephesians 1:11 states,
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.
Here are a few Bible Statements about Planning & Goal Setting:
Any enterprise is built by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense, and profits
wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts. (Proverbs 24:3-4)
Get good advice and you will succeed; don’t go charging into battle without a plan. (Proverbs 20:18)
We should make plans–counting on God to direct us. (Proverbs 16:8)
We can make our plans, but the final outcome is in God’s hands. (Proverbs 16:1)
Where there is no vision, the people perish. (Proverbs 29:18)
A sensible man watches for problems ahead and prepares to meet them. The simpleton never
looks, and suffers the consequences. (Proverbs 27:12)
Any enterprise is built by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense, and profits
wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts. (Proverbs 24:3,4)
Plans go wrong with too few counselors; many counselors bring success. (Proverbs 15:22)
Ask the Lord to bless your plans, and you will be successful in carrying them out. (Proverbs 16:3)
David said, Because the hand of the Lord was upon me and he gave me understanding in all the
details of the plan. David also said to Solomon, his son, Be strong and courageous, and do the
work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail
you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished. – Chronicles 28:19-20 NIV
Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to
the Lord; trust him and he will do this–Psalm 37:4,5
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)
The Dangers of Not Setting Goals and Planning
I Shot My Arrow
“I shot my arrow into the sky.
I hit no thing. How did it fly.
I hit no thing for I did not try.
I just shot my arrow into the sky.”
-Author Unknown
Spring Is Past
“Spring is past,
Summer is gone,
Winter is here,
And my song that I was meant to sing
Is still unsung.
I have spent my days
Stringing and unstringing my instrument”
-Unknown Oriental Poet
“For all the sad works of tongue and pen,
The saddest of these: It might have been!”
-John Greenleaf Wittier
“I’d rather attempt to do something great and fail, than attempt to do nothing and succeed!”
-Author Unknown
The Benefits of Planning & Goal-Setting
“Behold, the turtle-he makes progress only when he sticks his neck out!”
-J.B. Conant, former President of Harvard University.
“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore!”
-Author Unknown
“To do and dare–not what you would, but what is right.
Never to hesitate over what is within your power,
but boldly to grasp what lies before you.
Not in the flight of fancy, but only in the deed
there is freedom.
Away from timidity and reluctance!
Out in the storm of event, sustained only by the
Commandment of God and your faith,
And freedom will receive your spirit with exultation.”
-Dietrich Bonfoeffer, Lutheran Pastor
“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or
where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is
actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly;
who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotions,
and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place
shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
-Theodore Roosevelt
“Man’s finest hour, his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear, is that moment he has worked his
heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle, victorious.”
-Vince Lombardi, Head Football Coach, Green Bay Packers
Suggested Steps for Setting Goals and Making Plans
1) Crystalize your thinking into a focused goal.
What is it you want to do? Boil it down in your thinking. Discuss your ideas with friends. Pray about it. Streamline it. Then, write it down! It’s easy to forget mental or even discussed ideas, but written goals remind us and keep us on course. Divide your goals into high priority and low priority.
2) Develop a concrete, measurable plan of action and a specific, deadline for achieving your goals.
Nothing great happens by accident. Success requires specific action!
A plan of action bridges the gap between wish and fulfillment.
Anticipate and identify obstacles and devise solutions.
Keep a notebook of your plan of goal(s), plan(s) of action and deadline(s).
* * * * * * *
“To every man there comes in his lifetime that special moment when he is figuratively tapped on
the shoulder and offered that chance to do a very special thing, unique to him and fitted to his
talents.”
-Sir Winston Churchill
Therefore, “Carpe Diem” (“Seize the Day”)!...Go For it!
Thursday, June 13, 2013
“WHY MUST I SUFFER, LORD?”
Text: Psalm 77 and Romans 8:35-39
If God is all-good and all-loving and all-powerful, why is there so much pain and suffering in the world? Why do good Christians lose their jobs or experience disastrous financial reversals? Why does God permit babies born blind or deformed? Why does He allow a young man in his
twenties to have a life snuffed out by Leukemia? Why do some people have to die slow,
lingering, painful deaths?
These are hard, honest questions.
How tempting it is to offer glib answers. Perhaps right now you’re going through some painful
experiences... or have recently come through a difficult situation. I realize that to you almost
any answer to the problem of suffering may seem like a trite theological slogan or a cold
philosophical argument. Let’s face it, when you’re suffering, pain isn’t a proper subject for
debate. When you’re dying ... or have lost someone close to you, death isn’t just an abstract
term to be intellectualized.
Yet questions about suffering deserve some kind of answers. I agree with what Frederick
Nietzsche said, “a man can endure any “HOW” if he knows the “WHY” the reason for pain. If you have some sort of meaning for your difficulties, it’s easier to trust God through your hurt.
I don’t claim for a moment to know all the reasons for human suffering. Philosophers and
theologians have dealt with these questions for centuries. Yet I believe the Christian faith offers
some intelligent answers to the problem of suffering.
Why does God allow suffering? Here are a few possible reasons:
FIRST, because of the sins of others.
God could have created you and me as robots with built-in computers, pre-programmed to love each other and Him. But that wouldn’t really be love, would it? Real love is voluntary. In creating us free to choose to love Him and our fellow man God took the risk that we might not.
The Bible gives a realistic explanation of results of our freedom of choice.
None is righteous, no, not one...All have turned aside, together
They have gone wrong; no one does good, not even one. (Romans 8:28)
The Apostle James explains how this sin problem surfaces in the human race.
What causes wars and fightings among you? It is not your passions that are at war in your members? You desire and do not have; so you kill. You covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war. (James 4:1,2)
Men, women and children are injured or killed not only by the ravages of war–caused by the
greedy, aggressive actions of nations. Thousands of innocent victims are killed each year on
America’s highways –by drunken drivers careening down highways. People are crippled and
killed by buildings and bridges which collapse under minimal conditions ---why? Because
some contractors cheat on building codes. Unfortunately some suffering is caused by the sins of
others.
SECONDLY, some suffering we experience is due to our own sin, our own wrongdoing.
There are numerous instances in the Old and New Testaments where suffering was the direct
result of God’s judgement for a person’s sins.
God afflicted Miriam with leprosy for challenging the authority of Moses, whom God had
appointed leader of His people. God took the life of David’s child, born out of his adulterous
relationship with Bathsheba. Ananias and Sapphira, a couple in the New Testament church were
struck dead for lying, cheating and hypocrisy. These examples are sobering reminders to us of
the fact that, whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
I must say here that although there sometimes is a link between sin and suffering this is not
usually the case of the Bible. Not all suffering is the result of God’s punishment for sin. Yet
some people feel that their suffering is the result of God’s judgment for their past. For instance, I frequently hear hospital patients ask, “what have I done to deserve this?”... or “I guess I had this
coming after all the bad things I’ve done wrong.”
One of the deep truths of Scripture is the Judgment of God is always preceded by warning. Only
after repeated warnings were ignored did God punish His people. Listen to God’s words from
the prophet Ezekiel, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked ... turn ye, turn ye from your
evil ways, for why will ye die.
Some suffering is the result of our sin, but most is not.
THIRDLY, suffering can be caused by the activity of Satan.
Remember Job, the great man of God in the Old Testament? He was afflicted with all sorts of
tragedies. His business was wiped out. His children were killed by raiding bands of terrorists.
His body was stricken with painful boils from head to foot. What caused his misery? The Bible
says that God allowed Satan to cause Job to suffer to test his faith.
Jesus once told a parable about wheat and tares. He explained why a farmer’s crop of wheat was
ruined. He said, an enemy hath done this. (Matt. 13.28)
Perhaps years ago you read the book, “Helter’Skelter,” the story of Charles Manson’s murders of
Sharon Tate and others. It’s fairly clear that Satan motivated those atrocities.
FOURTHLY, sometimes suffering is the only way God can force us to re-evaluate our lives.
Sometimes being forced to lie flat on your back on a hospital bed proves to be a positive
experience. All you can do is think and review your life and what’s really most important.
Countless individuals can testify that a period of illness was one of the best things that ever
happened to them. The psalmist put it this way, It was good for me to be afflicted afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. (Psalm 119:71)
FIFTHLY, God allows us to suffer so as to develop and strengthen our characters.
Nietzsche aptly said, “the discipline of suffering has produced the greatness of humanity.
The New Testament puts it this way: we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,and endurance produces character. (Rom. 5:3,4)
Suffering can either drive a person closer to God or further away. It produces a bitterness that poisons and destroys, or it develops a quality of life that makes positive creative use of suffering. How true this is in almost everything.
In music, it was after Beethoven became blind that he produced some of his greatest pieces.
In government, although crippled and confined to a wheelchair, he said, “I will do something
great for this land of mine.” He did. His name? Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the
United States.
In poetry, even though he was blind, he felt he could create beautiful pictures in others minds.
He did. He wrote poems such as Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained. His name? John Milton.
SIXTHLY. We suffer sometimes because God wants to use our affliction to impress onlookers.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippian Christians, I want you to know brethren, that was has
happened to me has really served to advance the Gospel. (Phil, 1:13)
What had happened to Paul that caused him to say that his suffering helped to promote the cause
of Christ? He shares some of his sufferings:
Three times I have been beaten with rods; once I was
stoned. Three times I have been shipwrecked; a night
and a day I have been adrift at sea... in hunger and
thirst, in cold and exposure. (II Cor. 11:25-28)
Paul’s sufferings served to “advance the Gospel” because countless people who were with him or
who watched him endure his miseries, saw that he still was able to trust God and “give thanks in
everything.” As a result, many gave their lives to Jesus Christ, the unshakable anchor of Paul’s life. Along with the new converts, numerous believers had their faith encouraged because of Paul’s sufferings.
SEVENTHLY, sometimes we suffer because it’s the only way God can equip us for a special task.
The Bible says,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (II Cor. 1:3,4)
God never wastes any of our experiences: an illness, the heartache of losing a loved one, the
anguish of a broken home or marriage. The Bible says, all things work together for good for
those who love God, who are called according to His purpose. (Rom. 8:28).
Early in my ministry I spent a lot of time visiting a man hospitalized for an amputated leg. He
was in critical condition and extreme pain. As a pastor all I could do was share with his promises from the Bible. But obviously, I couldn’t even begin to understand the fears and pain and questions that one goes through one’s mind after such an operation. So I asked a friend, Pat McMahan to go with me to see this patient. Three years earlier Pat had been through a painful leg amputation. Sure enough, the minute that they met, they were on the same wavelength. Why? Because Pat had suffered, he was able to comfort someone else with a similar affliction.
Why must I suffer, Lord? Maybe it’s:
Because of the sins of others.
Because of your own sins.
Because of Satan’s activity.
Because it’s one way God can force you to stop long enough to re-evaluate your life.
Because your character will be developed.
Because your suffering will influence someone else.
Because suffering is the only way to equip you for a special task...or
LASTLY, sometimes suffering is caused for a reason known only to God.
Jesus’ disciples, like many of their contemporaries, felt that all suffering was God’s punishment for sin. One day they were walking with Jesus and encountered a man who’d been blind from birth. They wanted to know who’d caused his blindness from birth: the sins of the man or the sins of his parents?
Jesus made his point clear, Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened that the work of God might be displayed in his life. (John 9:3) According to Jesus, some traumatic events occur that only God understands.
Adults and children often ask themselves, “What did I do to cause this debilitating mental illness? This terminal illness? This lethal car accident?
Sometimes there are no acceptable answers, no rational explanations. The tragedy remains a
mystery. There are hard times in life with awful pain and no good reason. In these difficult
periods, only God understands. The only explanation He gives is:
My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your
ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher
than the earth, so are my ways higher than your
ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isa. 55:8,9)
Catherine Marshall was a prolific Christian writer. Several years ago she lost Amy, one of her grand-daughters who struggled with what the doctors had diagnosed as genetic defects in her internal organs. Catherine and hundreds of concerned Christians prayed that God would spare her little life.
They prayed literally day and night during the weeks precarious of touch and go. But one day six weeks aft er little Amy was born, and just after her grandmother had finished holding her, Amy quietly died.
Catherine’s reactions? “I fell on my face. There followed months of rebellion against God, sharper questioning than ever: what can we believe about healing through prayer? I experienced to the most intense misery I’ve ever known. Life went grey.”
Several years after little Amy’s death had passed, Catherine was still trying to “understand.”
There were no rational explanations for Amy’s death, no helpful explanations for why all the
earnest prayers for Amy’s healing “failed,” no amount of stringing together of causes and effects
provided an acceptable answer. Only the haunting, half-bitter question WHY?
Sometimes there simply are no reasonable answers for pain or suffering. There are periods when, as difficult as they are, we simply have to trust in the loving character of a personal God, who has revealed himself to us in Jesus Christ. The Scripture underscores God’s protective care
from life’s calamities:
Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
Nor things preset, nor things to come, now powers, nor
height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will
be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus
our Lord. (Ro 8:38,39)
Paul Meyers, who for years taught on the Haven of Rest radio broadcast once told of a little boy
who had broken his favorite toy. With tears streaming down his face, the devastated boy ran to
his father and cried, “Daddy, why doesn’t my toy work?” The father picked up the broken toy.
As an engineer, he knew at once what was wrong with it and easily could have told his child
“why” his toy was ruined. He could have given him a number of technical reasons: But the little
boy wouldn’t have understood the “reasons.” Instead, the father stooped down and brushed the
tears from his son’s eyes. He picked up his little boy and held him tightly in his arms saying, “It’s all right son, Daddy loves you.”
At times there are no human answers to suffering. Yet in the face of some of life’s most awful
tragedies, and in spite of the fact that sometimes we will not “feel” God’s presence, He assures
us that, I will never leave you or forsake you. In fact, as a Christian, there will NEVER be a heartbreak that you will ever face that your perfect, loving, heavenly Father will not say, “It’s all
right, son/daughter, I still love you!”
If God is all-good and all-loving and all-powerful, why is there so much pain and suffering in the world? Why do good Christians lose their jobs or experience disastrous financial reversals? Why does God permit babies born blind or deformed? Why does He allow a young man in his
twenties to have a life snuffed out by Leukemia? Why do some people have to die slow,
lingering, painful deaths?
These are hard, honest questions.
How tempting it is to offer glib answers. Perhaps right now you’re going through some painful
experiences... or have recently come through a difficult situation. I realize that to you almost
any answer to the problem of suffering may seem like a trite theological slogan or a cold
philosophical argument. Let’s face it, when you’re suffering, pain isn’t a proper subject for
debate. When you’re dying ... or have lost someone close to you, death isn’t just an abstract
term to be intellectualized.
Yet questions about suffering deserve some kind of answers. I agree with what Frederick
Nietzsche said, “a man can endure any “HOW” if he knows the “WHY” the reason for pain. If you have some sort of meaning for your difficulties, it’s easier to trust God through your hurt.
I don’t claim for a moment to know all the reasons for human suffering. Philosophers and
theologians have dealt with these questions for centuries. Yet I believe the Christian faith offers
some intelligent answers to the problem of suffering.
Why does God allow suffering? Here are a few possible reasons:
FIRST, because of the sins of others.
God could have created you and me as robots with built-in computers, pre-programmed to love each other and Him. But that wouldn’t really be love, would it? Real love is voluntary. In creating us free to choose to love Him and our fellow man God took the risk that we might not.
The Bible gives a realistic explanation of results of our freedom of choice.
None is righteous, no, not one...All have turned aside, together
They have gone wrong; no one does good, not even one. (Romans 8:28)
The Apostle James explains how this sin problem surfaces in the human race.
What causes wars and fightings among you? It is not your passions that are at war in your members? You desire and do not have; so you kill. You covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war. (James 4:1,2)
Men, women and children are injured or killed not only by the ravages of war–caused by the
greedy, aggressive actions of nations. Thousands of innocent victims are killed each year on
America’s highways –by drunken drivers careening down highways. People are crippled and
killed by buildings and bridges which collapse under minimal conditions ---why? Because
some contractors cheat on building codes. Unfortunately some suffering is caused by the sins of
others.
SECONDLY, some suffering we experience is due to our own sin, our own wrongdoing.
There are numerous instances in the Old and New Testaments where suffering was the direct
result of God’s judgement for a person’s sins.
God afflicted Miriam with leprosy for challenging the authority of Moses, whom God had
appointed leader of His people. God took the life of David’s child, born out of his adulterous
relationship with Bathsheba. Ananias and Sapphira, a couple in the New Testament church were
struck dead for lying, cheating and hypocrisy. These examples are sobering reminders to us of
the fact that, whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
I must say here that although there sometimes is a link between sin and suffering this is not
usually the case of the Bible. Not all suffering is the result of God’s punishment for sin. Yet
some people feel that their suffering is the result of God’s judgment for their past. For instance, I frequently hear hospital patients ask, “what have I done to deserve this?”... or “I guess I had this
coming after all the bad things I’ve done wrong.”
One of the deep truths of Scripture is the Judgment of God is always preceded by warning. Only
after repeated warnings were ignored did God punish His people. Listen to God’s words from
the prophet Ezekiel, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked ... turn ye, turn ye from your
evil ways, for why will ye die.
Some suffering is the result of our sin, but most is not.
THIRDLY, suffering can be caused by the activity of Satan.
Remember Job, the great man of God in the Old Testament? He was afflicted with all sorts of
tragedies. His business was wiped out. His children were killed by raiding bands of terrorists.
His body was stricken with painful boils from head to foot. What caused his misery? The Bible
says that God allowed Satan to cause Job to suffer to test his faith.
Jesus once told a parable about wheat and tares. He explained why a farmer’s crop of wheat was
ruined. He said, an enemy hath done this. (Matt. 13.28)
Perhaps years ago you read the book, “Helter’Skelter,” the story of Charles Manson’s murders of
Sharon Tate and others. It’s fairly clear that Satan motivated those atrocities.
FOURTHLY, sometimes suffering is the only way God can force us to re-evaluate our lives.
Sometimes being forced to lie flat on your back on a hospital bed proves to be a positive
experience. All you can do is think and review your life and what’s really most important.
Countless individuals can testify that a period of illness was one of the best things that ever
happened to them. The psalmist put it this way, It was good for me to be afflicted afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. (Psalm 119:71)
FIFTHLY, God allows us to suffer so as to develop and strengthen our characters.
Nietzsche aptly said, “the discipline of suffering has produced the greatness of humanity.
The New Testament puts it this way: we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,and endurance produces character. (Rom. 5:3,4)
Suffering can either drive a person closer to God or further away. It produces a bitterness that poisons and destroys, or it develops a quality of life that makes positive creative use of suffering. How true this is in almost everything.
In music, it was after Beethoven became blind that he produced some of his greatest pieces.
In government, although crippled and confined to a wheelchair, he said, “I will do something
great for this land of mine.” He did. His name? Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the
United States.
In poetry, even though he was blind, he felt he could create beautiful pictures in others minds.
He did. He wrote poems such as Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained. His name? John Milton.
SIXTHLY. We suffer sometimes because God wants to use our affliction to impress onlookers.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippian Christians, I want you to know brethren, that was has
happened to me has really served to advance the Gospel. (Phil, 1:13)
What had happened to Paul that caused him to say that his suffering helped to promote the cause
of Christ? He shares some of his sufferings:
Three times I have been beaten with rods; once I was
stoned. Three times I have been shipwrecked; a night
and a day I have been adrift at sea... in hunger and
thirst, in cold and exposure. (II Cor. 11:25-28)
Paul’s sufferings served to “advance the Gospel” because countless people who were with him or
who watched him endure his miseries, saw that he still was able to trust God and “give thanks in
everything.” As a result, many gave their lives to Jesus Christ, the unshakable anchor of Paul’s life. Along with the new converts, numerous believers had their faith encouraged because of Paul’s sufferings.
SEVENTHLY, sometimes we suffer because it’s the only way God can equip us for a special task.
The Bible says,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (II Cor. 1:3,4)
God never wastes any of our experiences: an illness, the heartache of losing a loved one, the
anguish of a broken home or marriage. The Bible says, all things work together for good for
those who love God, who are called according to His purpose. (Rom. 8:28).
Early in my ministry I spent a lot of time visiting a man hospitalized for an amputated leg. He
was in critical condition and extreme pain. As a pastor all I could do was share with his promises from the Bible. But obviously, I couldn’t even begin to understand the fears and pain and questions that one goes through one’s mind after such an operation. So I asked a friend, Pat McMahan to go with me to see this patient. Three years earlier Pat had been through a painful leg amputation. Sure enough, the minute that they met, they were on the same wavelength. Why? Because Pat had suffered, he was able to comfort someone else with a similar affliction.
Why must I suffer, Lord? Maybe it’s:
Because of the sins of others.
Because of your own sins.
Because of Satan’s activity.
Because it’s one way God can force you to stop long enough to re-evaluate your life.
Because your character will be developed.
Because your suffering will influence someone else.
Because suffering is the only way to equip you for a special task...or
LASTLY, sometimes suffering is caused for a reason known only to God.
Jesus’ disciples, like many of their contemporaries, felt that all suffering was God’s punishment for sin. One day they were walking with Jesus and encountered a man who’d been blind from birth. They wanted to know who’d caused his blindness from birth: the sins of the man or the sins of his parents?
Jesus made his point clear, Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened that the work of God might be displayed in his life. (John 9:3) According to Jesus, some traumatic events occur that only God understands.
Adults and children often ask themselves, “What did I do to cause this debilitating mental illness? This terminal illness? This lethal car accident?
Sometimes there are no acceptable answers, no rational explanations. The tragedy remains a
mystery. There are hard times in life with awful pain and no good reason. In these difficult
periods, only God understands. The only explanation He gives is:
My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your
ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher
than the earth, so are my ways higher than your
ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isa. 55:8,9)
Catherine Marshall was a prolific Christian writer. Several years ago she lost Amy, one of her grand-daughters who struggled with what the doctors had diagnosed as genetic defects in her internal organs. Catherine and hundreds of concerned Christians prayed that God would spare her little life.
They prayed literally day and night during the weeks precarious of touch and go. But one day six weeks aft er little Amy was born, and just after her grandmother had finished holding her, Amy quietly died.
Catherine’s reactions? “I fell on my face. There followed months of rebellion against God, sharper questioning than ever: what can we believe about healing through prayer? I experienced to the most intense misery I’ve ever known. Life went grey.”
Several years after little Amy’s death had passed, Catherine was still trying to “understand.”
There were no rational explanations for Amy’s death, no helpful explanations for why all the
earnest prayers for Amy’s healing “failed,” no amount of stringing together of causes and effects
provided an acceptable answer. Only the haunting, half-bitter question WHY?
Sometimes there simply are no reasonable answers for pain or suffering. There are periods when, as difficult as they are, we simply have to trust in the loving character of a personal God, who has revealed himself to us in Jesus Christ. The Scripture underscores God’s protective care
from life’s calamities:
Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
Nor things preset, nor things to come, now powers, nor
height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will
be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus
our Lord. (Ro 8:38,39)
Paul Meyers, who for years taught on the Haven of Rest radio broadcast once told of a little boy
who had broken his favorite toy. With tears streaming down his face, the devastated boy ran to
his father and cried, “Daddy, why doesn’t my toy work?” The father picked up the broken toy.
As an engineer, he knew at once what was wrong with it and easily could have told his child
“why” his toy was ruined. He could have given him a number of technical reasons: But the little
boy wouldn’t have understood the “reasons.” Instead, the father stooped down and brushed the
tears from his son’s eyes. He picked up his little boy and held him tightly in his arms saying, “It’s all right son, Daddy loves you.”
At times there are no human answers to suffering. Yet in the face of some of life’s most awful
tragedies, and in spite of the fact that sometimes we will not “feel” God’s presence, He assures
us that, I will never leave you or forsake you. In fact, as a Christian, there will NEVER be a heartbreak that you will ever face that your perfect, loving, heavenly Father will not say, “It’s all
right, son/daughter, I still love you!”
All
data and information provided on this site is for informational
purposes only. Dr. Jim Stout and drjimstout.com make no representations
as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of
any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors,
omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or
damages arising from its display or use.
An Ode to Three Lemons
You pucker and squint
At the slightest hint
Of a lemon’s bitter taste.
So why not throw it in the waste?
Life deals its harsh lemons as well,
Till you feel like you’re going through earth’s hell.
Better to make lemon meringue pie,
Than constantly bitch, moan and cry.
This yellow-white pastry, o’ so bittersweet
Will brighten your smile as you smack and eat.
Whenever you feel hurt or misunderstood,
Remember the lemon, and make it into something bittersweet good
By JTS, novice pie-maker
All
data and information provided on this site is for informational
purposes only. Dr. Jim Stout and drjimstout.com make no representations
as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of
any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors,
omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or
damages arising from its display or use.
Using Spirituality & Hope to Recover from Bipolar Disorder & Depression
By Rev. Dr. Jim Stout
Where do you go for help, hope, and meaning when painful struggles erode your confidence, shake your faith, and taint your happy times?
More and more psychiatric patients report a desire for something that will provide comfort, guidance, meaning, and hope for their lives. Maybe this is because most folks with depression and/or bipolar disorder have experienced numerous traumas and suffered multiple losses. Perhaps you’re searching for the meaning of your life, your illness.
Tragically, too many people with mental illnesses and their families have been badly treated by religious people who shamed, blamed, or simply neglected them. As a result of their hurtful experiences with “organized religion”, scores cut themselves off from anything “spiritual”, including
healthy forms of religion and the life-‐renewing vehicles of spirituality.
There’s a big difference between “religion” and “spirituality”. Religion has to do with a belief in a
superhuman power. A religion can be formalized into an “organization” that has a philosophy and code of ethics. Spirituality, however, is a much broader concept that may or may not include “religion”.
I like the way many twelve step groups differentiate between religion and spirituality: religion is for people who are afraid of going to hell; spirituality is for those who’ve been through hell, or who are
going through it right now!
Countless individuals have found great support, comfort, and renewed inner strength, and have benefited from traditional religions and their practices: worship, Bible study, prayer, and meditation.
Rabbi Harold Kushner, whose son suffered from a terrible, lethal disease, was able to find inner strength through spirituality. He said, “Life is not fair. The wrong people get sick, and the wrong people get robbed, and the wrong people get killed in wars and accidents. Some people see life’s
unfairness and decide, ‘There is no God; the world is nothing but chaos.’ To the person who asks,
‘Who needs religion if these things happen to good people and bad people alike’? I would say that God may not prevent the calamity, but He gives us the strength and the perseverance to overcome it”.
Numerous others, including myself, have profited not only from some aspects of religion, but also from more diverse forms of spirituality such as: walking in nature, listening to music, exercise,
humor, journaling, pets, hobbies like painting, reading poetry, novels, and recovery literature, and attending support groups and mental illness/addiction-‐related educational seminars.
Apart from the Bible, I’ve read numerous “spirituality” books that have given me guidance, encouragement, inspiration, purpose, and hope. Here are a few:
Man’s Search for Meaning—Victor Frankl
Where Is God When It Hurts?—Philip Yancey
Keeping Hope Alive—Lewis Smedes
When Bad Things Happen to Good People—Harold Kushner
Resilience: Rebounding When Life’s Upsets Knock You Down—Norman Wright
Alcoholics Anonymous (“The Big Book”)
The Purpose Driven Life - Rick Warren
How about it. Why not give spirituality or religion a chance, or another chance?
All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. Dr. Jim Stout and drjimstout.com make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use.
Where do you go for help, hope, and meaning when painful struggles erode your confidence, shake your faith, and taint your happy times?
More and more psychiatric patients report a desire for something that will provide comfort, guidance, meaning, and hope for their lives. Maybe this is because most folks with depression and/or bipolar disorder have experienced numerous traumas and suffered multiple losses. Perhaps you’re searching for the meaning of your life, your illness.
Tragically, too many people with mental illnesses and their families have been badly treated by religious people who shamed, blamed, or simply neglected them. As a result of their hurtful experiences with “organized religion”, scores cut themselves off from anything “spiritual”, including
healthy forms of religion and the life-‐renewing vehicles of spirituality.
There’s a big difference between “religion” and “spirituality”. Religion has to do with a belief in a
superhuman power. A religion can be formalized into an “organization” that has a philosophy and code of ethics. Spirituality, however, is a much broader concept that may or may not include “religion”.
I like the way many twelve step groups differentiate between religion and spirituality: religion is for people who are afraid of going to hell; spirituality is for those who’ve been through hell, or who are
going through it right now!
Countless individuals have found great support, comfort, and renewed inner strength, and have benefited from traditional religions and their practices: worship, Bible study, prayer, and meditation.
Rabbi Harold Kushner, whose son suffered from a terrible, lethal disease, was able to find inner strength through spirituality. He said, “Life is not fair. The wrong people get sick, and the wrong people get robbed, and the wrong people get killed in wars and accidents. Some people see life’s
unfairness and decide, ‘There is no God; the world is nothing but chaos.’ To the person who asks,
‘Who needs religion if these things happen to good people and bad people alike’? I would say that God may not prevent the calamity, but He gives us the strength and the perseverance to overcome it”.
Numerous others, including myself, have profited not only from some aspects of religion, but also from more diverse forms of spirituality such as: walking in nature, listening to music, exercise,
humor, journaling, pets, hobbies like painting, reading poetry, novels, and recovery literature, and attending support groups and mental illness/addiction-‐related educational seminars.
Apart from the Bible, I’ve read numerous “spirituality” books that have given me guidance, encouragement, inspiration, purpose, and hope. Here are a few:
Man’s Search for Meaning—Victor Frankl
Where Is God When It Hurts?—Philip Yancey
Keeping Hope Alive—Lewis Smedes
When Bad Things Happen to Good People—Harold Kushner
Resilience: Rebounding When Life’s Upsets Knock You Down—Norman Wright
Alcoholics Anonymous (“The Big Book”)
The Purpose Driven Life - Rick Warren
How about it. Why not give spirituality or religion a chance, or another chance?
All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. Dr. Jim Stout and drjimstout.com make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)