In A Pit?

There are some days when I really wish I could kick my own self in the rear.  I feel like this when I start to feel sorry for myself, or when I start to complain about how much my body hurts.  Where is my hope?  Where is my joy?  Oh yeah, it's right here and I chose not to take it.  Does choosing hope and joy necessarily make all my pain disappear?  Not usually...But what it does do is make the pain more bearable.  It does that because it changes my attitude towards the pain.  It's amazing that changing your attitude and what you "think" about your circumstances can be very healing. 

November is a month for reflecting on what you are thankful for, however, I think this should be a 365 days a year reflection.  Staying grateful keeps you out of the pit of despair.  Have you ever been in a pit of despair?  A situation so deeply challenging that you feel like there is no way out?  I have.  It's a very tough place to be.   When I find myself in these pits from time to time, there is a passage in Ephesians that gets me out of the pit every time.  Here it is...

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." ~ Ephesians 3:14-21

I love the commentary in my Bible...  "God's love is total, says Paul.  It reaches every corner of our experience.  It is wide - it covers the breadth of our own experience, and it reaches out to the whole world.  God's love is long - it continues the length of our lives.  It is high - it rises to the heights of our celebration and elation.  His love is deep - it reaches to the depths of discouragement, despair, and even death.  When you feel shut out or isolated, remember that you can never be lost to God's love."  When you are in a pit of despair, it's common to feel lost and isolated.  You feel completely alone in your circumstances.  The truth is that you are never alone.  Jesus is with you always, even in the pit, and he will get you out.

"I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him." ~ Psalm 40:1-3

Waiting patiently while you are in the pit is hard.  But, it's possible.  Praising God while you are in the pit is hard.  But, it's possible, and necessary.  The more thankful you are, the easier it will be while you are waiting.  You may think I'm crazy for saying these things.  You may be thinking, "Are you kidding me?  Why should I praise God that I'm in this horrible situation?  You obviously don't know what I'm going through!"  It's true.  I don't know what you're going through.  But I do know what I'm going through, and it's not easy.

Maybe it does sound crazy to praise God from the depths of your pit, but crazy or not, it works.  All I'm asking you to do is try it.  You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  More than that, God deserves our best praise no matter what we're going through.  It doesn't matter how deep your pit of despair is, you are not unreachable, and you haven't been forgotten.  No circumstance will last forever.  There is an end to our suffering.  That's why we must keep a thankful heart.  Someone will always be suffering worse than you.  Be thankful for what you have and forget about what you don't have.  And for goodness sake, don't wish that you had someone else's problems!  It makes me sad when I hear people tell me that they wish they could trade their suffering in for someone else's.  God gives each of us the ability to handle things differently than anyone else could.  His grace is sufficient for you and he gives new grace and mercy for every day.  He will never give you more than you can handle.  So, trust him and rest in that.  If you feel like you're in the pit, you won't be there forever.  Just keep praising God every day.  Stay thankful and pretty soon you will be standing outside the pit.  And, finally, stay in the Word so you don't fall back in.  :)