Have you ever been trapped in the middle of that "dark night of the soul," that time when the whole world seemed to be crashing down around you, when nothing made sense, when the joy of life had been taken away completely? I've been there once or twice myself. We all pass through that valley at some point in our journey.
What do you do when you get to that place? To whom do you turn? How do you find the strength to go through the valley and find solid footing on the other side?
Of course, the easy answer to that for anyone who believes is Christ is, well, Christ. It is by finding refuge in the harbor of our Savior's love that we find solace, comfort, strength, and hope when the lights have gone out all around us. That is truth, not a cliche. Jesus is the answer. In my darkest moments it is the "Light of the World" who has been the light of my soul.
But there is more to it than that. In Proverbs 18:14, there is a tidbit of wisdom that we need to remember - no, that I must remember. I am not the touchy-feely type. There's a story of the man whose wife came and complained that he never told her that he loved her anymore. "Look, woman," he said. "I told you I loved you when we got married. If anything changes I'll let you know." I don't think I'm quite that bad (Jenni reads these, she might have an opinion?), but I'm not someone who is always quick with the word of praise. You will never see me advertising myself on an infomercial as a motivational guru!
But then I read this verse.
A man's spirit will endure sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?
"A man's spirit will endure sickness." What is Solomon telling us? Human beings have a remarkable ability to endure hardship and trial. I visited a lady yesterday whose life span now is measured in days, perhaps weeks, but her spirit is strong. How? She knows the Lord, of course, but there is something else. She has a husband beside her who loves her and has walked with her every step of the way through this terrible illness.
It is when our spirit is crushed that we lose our ability to hold up. I think of the times my spirit has been crushed, when I've walked through the "valley of the shadow of death" and there is one common denominator. In addition to often failing to seek the comfort and strength of Christ as I should, I've felt alone. Isolated. I'm on an island all by myself! Do you know what I mean?
Every one of us is going to walk the valley, to come to that moment of the dark night of the soul when everything is wrong and life hurts. That's a given. When that happens, first and foremost we need to seek the Savior, the One who gave himself for us on the cross, who loves us with an infinite and everlasting love.
But we also need each other. We need to be encouraged. When I feel like there is someone walking with me on the road, my spirit is not crushed. I am strengthened both by the work of Christ and by the fellowship of the saints.
So, here's our lesson for the day. If I need that, I need to be that! I need to be an encourager, a helper, a strengthener! I need to turn people toward Christ, but I also need to be a shoulder people can both lean on and cry on when they need. I need to be the agent of Christ to comfort those in need.
What I need when I am hurting I need to be to those who hurt today!What does "encourage" mean? Simply, it means to put courage into someone's life, to help them and give them strength! In this hurting, horrible, harsh world, let us be encouragers, let us be spirit-lifters, courage-givers, those who help the hurting find hope!
Father, may I be a man of encouragement and grace, who seeks to lift the spirits of those around me. May people find courage to face life because of what you are doing in and through me.
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