The Gift of Reaching the Finish Line (Day 10 of our challenge against seasonal depression) - EncouragementMama.com
You are a gift.
You, my friend, are a gift to the world. You are precious. You are valuable. You are wanted. You are needed.
Those statements are probably making some of you blush, or shake your head in disagreement right now. After all, we are hardest on ourselves when it comes to gauging our worth, aren’t we?
Unfortunately, most of us have incorrect ways of thinking about ourselves–ways that don’t align with God’s truths. But remember…
“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.'” Jeremiah 31:3
You formed my inward parts;You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well. Psalm 139:13-14
…Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by My name, whom I created for My glory, whom I formed and made. Isaiah 43:6-7
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Matthew 6:26
During this 10-day challenge, we learned that our beliefs don’t always match up to God’s truths. We must take into account every belief we have and test it in the light of the Scriptures. That is the only way we can stop believing the lies of the enemy and live in freedom.
Jesus is your portion. You don’t have to rely on people or things to fulfill you.
Instead of turning to others to meet our needs, or relying on habits or addictions to soothe our wants, we can let Jesus be our portion. Not only is He our Savior, He is our Provider, Healer, and Banner. Say the following titles aloud, as a confirmation of Who God is in your life:
Jehovah-Jireh….my Provider
Jehovah-Nissi…Banner of love over me
Jehovah-Rapha…my Healer
The Lord can heal us from seasonal depression, and every season that robs us of the abundant life in Christ. However, sometimes His healing comes in ways that are different than what we expect. Sometimes, the process is slow and deliberate. And sometimes, He allows us to go through valleys of depression in order to bring us to the end of ourselves.
How is the Lord leading you into a place of healing?
Is He leading you towards finding a trusted Christian counselor or mentor?
Is the Lord prompting you to make a bold move such as a job change, a health change, or a habit change?
Perhaps, God is trying to redirect your focus, which could lead to a path of healing.
Where is your focus?
Just as my grandkids like to walk around the house with binoculars up to their eyes, sometimes we allow depression to pinpoint our vision towards the sad, gloomy, and unfavorable things in life.
Even if depression hangs around your neck like the weight of a pair of binoculars, you can choose to look up. There is a whole different and beautiful perspective around us–a God perspective.
And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31:8
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4
I love the daily, steadfast comforts of the Lord, don’t you? When we look at our journey, from the moment we received Christ until now, we may see hills and valleys, but we also see that He was with us every step of the way.
Sisters, we no longer have a “fear of missing out,” because we know that through every valley and on every mountaintop, God is right there with us. He leads us from strength to strength.
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion. Psalm 84:5-7
In fact, the only fear of missing out, that should tug at our tender hearts, is the fear of missing out on exactly what God has for us each and every morning. His mercies are new every day. And He longs to share with us beautiful things from His word, through daily prayer and worship.
Did you know that time with God in His word, worship, and prayer, sets the temperature for our day?
No matter what our emotional temperature tends to be, whether we are quick-tempered, melancholy, or mellow-yellow, we can let the Holy Spirit balance every emotion with His presence and peace.
No longer do our unfavorable emotions need to get the best of us, including our seasonal depression. We have a loving Father Who is more than ready to help us temper our emotions with His steadfast love and mercy.
As we end our 10-day challenge, let me remind you that…
You are not alone.
You are not forsaken.
You are not a failure.
You are not weaker or “less than” anyone else.
Your depression does not define you.
Your depression does not have control over you.
Your depression does not have the best of you.
Instead, please allow me to proclaim over you…
You are beloved.
You are sought after.
You are cherished.
You are valuable.
You are wanted.
You are needed.
You are so much more than your depression.
You have something beautiful to offer the world.
You are…a gift.
Each and every one of you has been a gift to me. Thank you for taking this 10-day challenge. I pray that even one tiny change was made in your heart concerning seasonal depression. And most of all, I pray that BIG changes were made in your relationship with Christ.
I look forward to hearing from you, about what you learned or gained over the last 10 days. Remember, I am always an email away.
Jennifer
