Lifestyle is simply how you live, what you put on display. It’s what the world sees day in and day out. Is sadness your lifestyle? I am not minimizing or dismissing real issues or struggles. What I am asking is, are you that Christian that hangs your head down and is hunched over as if God has never done anything good for you? Do you find something wrong with every situation? Do doom and gloom describe you?
Christian encounters
When I encountered Christians in my earlier years, I was hungry for words of encouragement. I was already sad, struggling, and I needed a glimpse of hope. I was hoping those Christians would say something profound that was going to change my life for the good. Instead, I got messages of doom and gloom. After speaking with them, I was more hopeless and empty than before. I was looking for them to share how God brought them through a trial or cleansed them of sin. Even though life was beating them up, I was waiting for them to tell me how they were standing on Jesus the rock. Anticipating them sharing how God did the impossible in their life. Confusion set in for me because these Christians would say God is good, but in the next breath didn’t have anything good to say about God.
I knew it had to be more to this life and journey than this sad existence I was living. It was an uphill battle, but God revealed Himself. Eventually, I met some amazing Christians that were flawed and bruised but living for Jesus and was open to sharing. I was extremely grateful for these Christian encounters because they gave me hope that Jesus was working and transforming lives. I did learn a lesson from the doom and gloom Christians that I didn’t what to live that way. My goal was to come alongside someone and encourage them through their sadness.
After salvation
For many Christians, after salvation, they stop growing and maturing in the Lord. The hunger and thirst they had in searching for the Lord now is not a priority. The zeal to know Jesus is a short-lived and distant memory. Personal activities and agendas replace Bible studies, devotionals, prayer meetings, and church attendance. Guess what starts to take over? Sadness, along with murmuring, complaining, anger, confusion, and more.
When we stop seeking Christ, we start leaning on our intellect. We no longer rely on our Savior’s supernatural power and ability, and we no longer get the supernatural results. The more we try to move mountains without Jesus, the more the sadness increases because we feel defeated and deflated. When a lamp is not plugged into the electrical outlet, which is the power source, it will not illuminate. When you are not plugged into the Word of God, which is your source of power, you will not be illuminated. Darkness begins to fill the heart and mind, and sadness is magnified. The good news is, that mindset can be reversed by repenting and returning to your first love, Jesus Christ.
Life is real
All of us have real-life concerns that should not be swept under the rug. When life takes its twist and turns, it’s much easier to pivot if we’ve been putting Christ first. Jesus wants a personal and intimate relationship with you. He wants you first and your best. He does not want to take the back seat to your dreams, goals, and desires. Jesus wants you to call and rely on Him to work through your life concerns. The further we get from the things of the Lord, the more consequences we have to deal with. A lot of the sadness we take on is due to a lack of calling on Christ first. Asking the Lord what should I do or how do I proceed is so simple, and yet we don’t do it.
In conclusion
We forfeit peace in exchange for sadness because we refuse to stay the Jesus course. It may be because we feel God’s plan is taking too long, we think we have a better plan, we think we can live life without the scriptures. Whatever the reason is, it creates separation between you and your Savior. The only one that will not be sad about this separation is the devil. He is happy anytime you conflict or are on opposite sides of the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember, the devil is not your father.
ACTION ITEM(S)
- Is sadness on display in your life? If so, why?
- Do you know someone that is sad? If so, pray about how to come alongside them and encourage them.
- Has your personal life replaced Bible and prayer time? If so, it is an easy fix, dust off your Bible, open it, and let the Holy Spirit speak to you.
- Are you tending to your life concerns using your intellect or are you following the lead of Jesus? If you are relying on yourself, just repent. God is always near and available.
This is good. It seems like the words “gloom and doom” should not be terms to describe a “Christian”. But sadly enough there are soo many out there that lack true UNDERSTANDING of who our God is and the power we have in Jesus!!
You’re absolutely right to stress our need to remain plugged into the source….the Word of God! There are times when I have to catch myself if I begin to take an negative tone about a situation. I have to constantly guard my “renewed mind” because I know I have an enemy that doesn’t want me to live a victorious, joyful life!
This is a great blog for us to take inventory of our current mindset. Especially with the holidays approaching people tend to get sad for one reason or another.
#verytimely
Lisa, Great point about the holidays. This is a great reminder for me to stay plugged into Jesus because it’s so easy to become distracted and get off track. I appreciate you and your comments!