Have you ever gone through a low time and tried to give yourself a pep talk in order to feel better or motivate yourself? Maybe you’ve told yourself to “pull yourself up by your boot straps”, only to realize that you gave your boots to the Salvation Army months ago.

Perhaps some well meaning saint has tried to help you by telling you to “just choose joy”.  I bet what you really wanted, (beside giving them a throat punch) was for that “super saint” to crawl down into the trench and cry with you for a little while.

Have you ever gone to God’s Word searching for something to read that would pull you out of your funk; to save you from your sinking feeling? Have you sat alone praying, waiting for God to “lift your spirits”, only to be met with silence?

Maybe, after none of the above “worked”, you went to Facebook looking for someone to commiserate with. Instead what you find is that everyone seems to be going on fantastic vacations or having awesome parties; or “friends” who’s children are doing cuter things than yours; or that friend who’s profile selfie is nothing less than glamorous and who’s husband brought her flowers…again, or… etc…  So you glumly deactivate your Facebook account and continue your journey looking for something to make you “come alive”.

It’s off to the Mall. Or Target, or Wal-Mart, or Ulta… up and down shopping row you go, looking for that illusive shot of “happy”.  You try-on several different outfits, but nothing looks right. Too tight, too frumpy, to hipster. You try new makeup that will give you a “fresh look”, but all of it makes you look like you are trying too hard.  In fact you know nothing is going to look good today, because all you see in the mirror is a wretched, gloomy, tired person.

Maybe lunch will help, so you work your way through the bowl of chips and salsa while you are waiting for your meal to arrive. Your burrito comes and you gobble it down, saving room for that big slice of the rich chocolate cake that the restaurant is famous for. MMMMMmmmmmm… Oh the sweet relief of a sugar high…at least for a few minutes, until you come crashing down.  Now for the self deprecation and hatred.

In order to dull your sense of self hatred, you turn to the television.  Distraction. Distraction is what you need.  Check out of life for an hour… or seven.  A little Chip and Joanna Gains for a while, then maybe the classic movie channel.  Or maybe a West Wing, or Stranger Things binge is more your style.  So you watch. And watch, and watch, and watch until you have completely lost yourself.  Now it is 2 o’clock in the morning, and you drag yourself upstairs.  As you wash your face and fall in bed, you come to the horrible realization that you feel worse now, than when you woke up this morning.

Hopefully tomorrow you will feel better, but the next morning you wake up and repeat the whole scenario, hoping for a different outcome.

Dry bones. Dry, dry, tired bones.

Could you relate to that story? Sadly, it has been my story many times.

Jeremiah 2:15  “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water,
and have dug for themselves their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.”

Broken cisterns. Wells with cracks.  Bowls filled with holes.  Colanders.  That’s what I am so often.  I pour all kinds of things into my spirit, hoping to be filled.  Be “fixed”.

I am a Jesus follower.  If you are one too, I bet we both know and can admit, when we stop to think about it, that stuff like Facebook, shopping, food, or even friends, will not meet the deepest needs of our heart. But what about fixing our empty souls with good things like church and the Bible? No. Even those very good things can’t fix us. I will dare to say, that even praying and waiting to hear from God, just so we can feel better isn’t going to work either. God is completely Holy and will not be used as a “feel good” ticket.  He loves us too much to give us anything less than His truth.

Here are some good questions to ask ourselves:

• Why do we think that going through a dry spell is something that we must escape?
• Why do we automatically think that God must have somehow abandoned us because we don’t “feel” a certain way?
• When will stop looking to “lesser” things to fill us up?

Waiting is hard. It doesn’t feel good.  But, dear saint, God has not left you alone. He is there and is always listening.  Keep talking to Him.  His silence is not forever, and it has a purpose, so stop struggling and rest in the quiet.  He is refining you in the heat of the desert.  Be patient and don’t try and fill yourself with lesser things.

What He wants to give us is Himself, not some fleeting feeling.  Jesus is who our souls long for, far more than we realize. He himself is our very great reward. Nothing else.  Not the things he can do for us, or give us.  Only Jesus alone.  Go to him today, not to get something.  Just go and be with Him- for nothing else than just to be with Him.  When we do, and when we are patient, we will eventually find that what we hold in our hands is not a colander, but a beautiful pitcher being filled from the Eternal Spring of Living Water.

Genesis 15:1b  “I am your shield,YOUR VERY GREAT REWARD.”

 

Don’t know Jesus, but would like to?  I’d love to introduce you to him!  Leave a message!