Thursday, April 7,
2022
I have heard the
many rumors about me, and I am surrounded by terror. My enemies conspire against me, plotting to
take my life. But I am
trusting you, O Lord, saying, “You are my God!” My future is in your hands. Rescue me from those who hunt me down
relentlessly. Let your favor
shine on your servant. In your unfailing
love, rescue me. Psalm 31:9-16
I’m not so certain that there can ever truly be a little
case of depression. Depression is the prologue
to hollow insides of a human. Being in
the “hollow times” is the draining thing the Psalmist describes, punctuated by
grief and regret. Set apart, like a
broken pot behind the garden shed, depression magnifies the hollowness within
gnawing at any memory of what life was, once upon a time.
Strangely enough, hollowness of mind, body, and soul is,
at the same time, despised and feared, as well as the embarkment platform of
repentance. The Psalmist describes the
cause of his emptiness as sin…drained my strength. This confession, from the depths of the
hollow man can only be genuine, when all strength, reason, and human resources
have been exhausted.
In Jesus’ sermon of the Beattitudes he holds forth the
essence of the hollow beginnings of blessedness:
God blesses those
who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is
theirs. Matthew 5:3
At the risk of skipping over a treatise on humility (poverty
of spirit, as contrasted with depression) the “poverty” of a life emptied of
any reason to still participate in breathing, can turn God-blessed, a veritable
turnkey to the Kingdom’s door. It is poverty
of a depressed soul with nothing to offer, save trusting in the mercy of He who
sits on Heaven’s throne. Hollowness is
the launch pad for being filled.
Have you ever tried to stuff a little more into
something that was already overflowing? Or,
have you tried to take a little more out of somewhere that was already
completely empty? The Psalmist’s mantra
is a theology of emptiness; the glass is neither half-empty, nor half-full; it
is, as he said, reduced to broken shards, thrown-out behind the tool shed. It can’t receive, nor can it give. It is depression that is stuck in empty
meaninglessness.
I have known the hollow times. Sparing the details, it was the kindness of
caring souls pointing in the direction of God’s open, merciful arms, which allowed
me a ray of hope. My future seemed like
a thick, black curtain, behind which there stood an impenetrable brick wall. But when I called on him, trusting and
leaning entirely on His grace, the curtain dropped, and the depression wall
began to crumble.
For You Today
If life has driven
you into the hollow times, and your cup is empty and dry, remember the hot sand
on the beach is only a few steps from the cooling waters.
[If you are suffering from depression there
are caring professionals available to help.
If you have not found one, don’t give up. I invite you to send me a message (RBrownworth@gmail.com). I can listen or point you to help]
[1] Title image: Pixabay.com Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
