Dark Night of the Soul - Part Two

 

In my last blog I dealt with my personal “Dark Night of the Soul.' I briefly described how it affected me but did not have space to share how to survive the experience. I mentioned that if you have been a Christ-follower for long, you have probably found a time in your spiritual journey when you came to an abrupt halt. You may have experienced depression, hopelessness, confusion, lethargy, anger, sadness, even thoughts of suicide.

Many people seek the help of a psychologist during this experience and are wrongfully diagnosed with depression and are given antidepressants, The thing is, the problem is not in your head, it is in your soul. It is happening because you are in the process of incredibly painful spiritual transformation.

Growing in your relationship with Christ is a process. But that growth does not progress in a straight line. Our journey goes up and down, forward and backward. The goal is to develop a more Christ-like character.

Space does not allow me to fully treat how to deal with this subject but let me share some help while you go through your 'Dark Night.'

1. Educate yourself. The more you know the better off you will be, There are many helpful articles online.

2. Surrender and Trust. The more you resist the transformation process, the more pain you will feel. But once you let go, you will find freedom

3. Accept where you are at. You are right where God wants you to be.

4. Stay close to people who love you.

5. Pray and meditate. Pray for strength and guidance.

6. Exercise

7. Listen to spiritually uplifting music.

8. Focus on the positive. Philippians  4:8

Remember, this season will not last forever, You will be able to look back and see it as a blessing and not a curse. 

Dark Night of the Soul

I wish I could say I was perfect, but I am not. When I think I have it “all together”; I find I don't. As hard as I try to serve Christ; I often fail. Recently, I found myself spinning my “spiritual” wheels. That is when I pray, I don't really feel connected. When I read Scripture, I get no new revelation. The harder I try to serve God; the more distant He seems.

I have been a Christian long enough to know that my relationship with Christ is not always a 'mountain top' experience. As in all relationships, there are highs and lows. I thoroughly enjoy the 'high' moments, but I dread the 'low' moments.

As an amateur Church historian, I remember reading the biographies of many notable Christians: Charles Spurgeon, Protestant reformer Martin Luther, 18^th century Missionary to the Native Americans David Brainerd, and most notable was Mother Theresa and those are just a few that have struggled with spiritual lows. I should take comfort to be included in their number. But I still don't like where I am at.

I think if we were all honest, we have all struggled with what has been called “The Dark Night of the Soul.” For some of us, these times might just be several days. For others, it might be months. Some of the “greats” of the faith struggled for years.

The purpose of this blog is to encourage transparency among the Body of Christ. (Myself included) Galatians 6:2 says, “Help carry each other's burden...” If you hide the fact that you are struggling spiritually, no one can help you through your struggle. So, find someone with whom you can be open and share your struggle. 

Had Enough?

 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9

Most people think that the situation they find themselves in is unique. But the above Scripture tells us that your situation is not unique. That being the case, it behooves us to learn from other people's mistakes. Romans 15:4 says, "And the Scriptures were written to teach and encourage us by giving us hope."

The Old Testament prophet Elijah can teach us a valuable lesson. He once faced 450 pagan prophets and God honored Elijah by sending fire from heaven and had the false prophets killed. But after that intense encounter, Queen Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah. Elijah was terrified of this woman and ran for his life. 1 Kings 19 Elijah had come to the end of himself!

Have you ever felt like you could not take anymore? What can we learn from Elijah's mistakes?

1. He gave into self-pity. verse 19 verse 10 Remember you are a child of the Most High God. Don't surrender to self-pity.
2. He tried to face his trial alone. verse 3 says he left his servant behind. We are part of the Body of Christ, we need to share our burdens with each other. Galatians 6:2
3. He was physically exhausted. He ran almost 100 miles to get away from Queen Jezebel and was totally gave out. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is rest.
4. He needed proper nourishment. You cannot fight depression without the proper food. 1 Kings 19:6-9 verse 7 Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you. You need spiritual food as well as physical food.

You can overcome every situation that you face. Christ gives me the strength to face anything. Philippians 4:13.