So I’ve just signed up for my Church’s mission training. Eek! I’m already wondering how I’ll manage it. Will CFS/ME allow me do it? And me? Really? You think I’ll be able to share about Jesus without running a mile?
Perhaps I’m overthinking things and underestimating myself (I hope so cos I’ve signed up now 🤣) but we all have moments of fear about things. It certainly isn’t the first time in my life.
But I believe God is calling me out of my comfort zone to take the next step on the adventure with Him. There are people out there who’s lives would be transformed if only they knew the love of Jesus.
And what about you? Are you up for adventures with Christ? What’s God calling you to do?
Well here’s a gentle nudge.
An account of one time I stepped out in the past, with resulting blessing to follow…
Depression: not ideal but it helped me step out in faith
As some of you will know, I’ve had severe depression in the past. It wasn’t nice. In fact I’d say it stuffed up my life big time for a while. And I’m still dealing with some of the knock-on effects.
But throughout, I looked to the hills to get me through – both physically (whoop for mountain walking, see photo) and metaphorically (see Psalm 121).
How?
- Physically depression made me want to isolate from everyone. I wasn’t comfortable around people and often thought: “They don’t like me anyway. I’m a waste of space.” (Depression talking.) But God broke through and I was able to push myself to get into the mountains with friends because deep down I knew it would be good for me. I didn’t want to. I sometimes had to literally drag myself out of bed to do it. But somewhere deep inside was a light that made me keep going…
- Mentally and emotionally depression drained me. But every week for many years I persevered with counselling and psychotherapy despite the huge emotional impact. Most sessions I ended up in a right state and had no idea how I’d carry on. Yet a day later I’d feel lighter… (till the next time). When this goes on for years, trust me, it’s exhausting and normal life is impossible. But again, that light inside me kept on burning… Christ was doing His thing without me realising. How else could I have persevered under such strain?
- Spiritually it felt like depression had sucked out my soul. When in the depths of despair God and anything to do with him had vanished: “Does He really exist? Does He really care? After all no one else does and I’m completely useless.” (Depression talking again.) Yet I kept going to Church and I kept seeing Christian friends, albeit at their insistence, not mine. And eventually I could do all these things again without needing support.
With Jesus you can do it!
With Jesus as your light you’ll be surprised at what you can achieve.
Even if you’re afraid of stepping out…
Even if you tremble at the thought of moving on to something new…
With God at the helm you can be strong and courageous:
“…for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Josh 1:9b (NIV)
There’s no need to fear:
“For God did not give you a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” – 2 Tim 1:7 (NIV)
And He promises great blessings for those who obey (e.g. Deut 28, Is 48:18).
In my case persevering against what felt like staggering odds led me to complete healing from depression.* And now I’m able to live life again. For God. Yay!
That’s not to say I don’t still struggle with my mental health at times. I do. But what Jesus did was free me from some huge issues at the very core of my being. So now I know those things will never make me depressed again. Other stuff… who knows…
Remember, with Christ by your side anything is possible (Luke 1:37).
Ready to get out of your comfort zone yet?
So are you ready to step out now? I hope so.
While it is difficult and it will challenge you, isn’t that all part of the adventure? Fact is, God will bless you when you do as he asks. And you might just have some fun on the journey…
So join me in stepping out for Jesus. Together we can change the world 😊
God bless xx
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*Please note: this is my experience of depression. Others will have different stories and I’m in no way suggesting that everyone will be healed this side of Heaven. There are some things that are hard to understand, and who God chooses to heal is one of them. Watch out for a deeper article addressing this issue soon…