step by step

There are times, in all of our lives, when it seems dark and dreary; our prayers seem to be bouncing off the ceiling; we're just slogging along in the mud of life. In some of these times, we can't even seem to focus enough to pray coherently. I've been experiencing this type of existence for a period of time now. If you haven't personally gone through one of these "miry clay" times (Psalm 40:2), you may be thinking; "something's wrong with him," or; "he must be in some kind of sin." (Since I'm still in this body of flesh that wars against the spirit, you would be right-- "for the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." (Galatians 5:17) If you have experienced this, you will pray for me. (When you do, please lift up 2 other brothers, "JT" and "PM", who are also currently going through some, if not all, the above.) I talked with one of these brothers the other night, when he was down, down, down. I want to tell you the gist of what I told him, in case you might be going through something like this.

We generally know how we should conduct ourselves in our daily lives. We know, or at least we think we do, the steps we should take as we proceed from "point a to point b." The mind doesn't function "normally" though, when we're in the "miry clay." One of its attributes is called "depression" by the clinicians of the psychiatric persuasion, and can have its roots in any or all of the different aspects of our lives, ie., the physical (my wife and I believe my current situation is the result of a medication my V.A. doctor doubled the dosage on), emotional, or spiritual. Thought processes tend to become bogged down, and our lives lose their "normal" flavor. What commonly seems so obvious isn't very obvious at all. The landscape of our lives seems as barren as the moon. Well, when your compass no longer registers north, south, east, and west; which way do you go? My advice is:

1. Do the basics you know to do. If you can't pray "around the world," then pray short and simple. If you can't concentrate long enough to read chapters of the Bible at a time, read short passages. If you can't remember "chapter and verse" in your conversations, then paraphrase the Scripture you know. If you can't praise God for everything in your life, speak praise to Him for the breath you just took, your salvation, the car you're in, etc. DO NOT simply stop your spiritual regimen. Any medications your doctor may prescribe you for long term conditions will tell you, "Take as directed. Do not suddenly discontinue. If you miss a dose, and your next scheduled dose is still sometime away, take the missed dose. If it is time for your next prescribed dose, do not attempt to 'catch up' by taking the missed dose." Our sinful condition is "long-term," at least until we leave here for Heaven. The "medications" of prayer, praise, and the Word are necessary for your spiritual well-being. Keep taking them.

3. This step may not be comfortable, but it is one of the "all things" that God will work together for good. (Romans 8:28) We don't understand it, but, that verse is either true, or not! I asked my friend, the other night, if he had always liked school. He said, "no. I did enjoy the last 10 years of it, though." I reminded him that if he had not gone through the classes and subjects of his first several years, he would not have been prepared for those last 10. He had to learn to read, write, and do arithmetic in those hated first years to be able to like English, math, or whatever in those last "enjoyed" years. Does that make sense? God may have me or you in a "class" or "subject" we don't like in order to prepare us to be able to enjoy another one later.