What to Do When You Hit Bottom

(Picture credits at end of post)

I was speaking with one parent in a family who have been going through an extreme trial for a considerable period of time. She told me how she and her husband had chosen to deal with it with some success. I call it “The See-Saw Solution.”

They decided that when they hit ground zero in their own troubled situation they would balance it out by taking upon themselves the burden of someone else’s need. By doing so they found they own burdens were lifted.

Think about it. If were continually concentrate upon our own trouble, the weight of it can keep us down permanently. Taking upon us the burdens of others will give us perspective and cause us to see our own troubles in a different light. More than that we will be walking in obedience to our Lord who said: “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you…” (John 15:12 – NASB)

Now, what in the world has a See-Saw got to do with all of this? How can the image of a See-Saw provide a solution for the burdens that often keep us grounded?

Well, have you ever tried to ride a See-Saw on your own? You sit on one end, and hope the other end will just miraculously go down and lift your end up? I don’t think so!

To ride a See-Saw you have to have someone else on the other end of equal weight to balance things out. It can even give you some enjoyment.

In a similar way you can balance out your own troubles by helping to minimize the troubles of someone else.

The “law o0f Christ” is to love one another and Paul, in his letter to the Galatians tells us how to obey that law. He says:

Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2 – NASB)

The “See-Saw Solution” may be just what you need to lift you out of your despair. Try it. You may just find you enjoy doing it.

Just like a See-Saw

(© Tuesday 17^th March 2915 – by Christopher Shennan)

Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2 – NASB)

Burdens of life can weigh you down,

And keep you in dire despair;

Just concentrate on your troubles,

And you’ll forget that God is there.

My life was just like a See-Saw,

With only myself on one end;

There was no one else to balance

My burden on the other end.

So I called to God and complained,

“Why are you not lifting my load?”

He replied, “You’re not following me;

You’re walking a different road.

“You want Me to lift your burden,

But your troubles have made you blind;

You don’t know loving your brother

Will deliver more peace of mind.

“You need to balance your troubles

By carrying another’s load;

You’ll find it will lift your burdens –

I’ll walk beside you on that road.”

 My website: http://www.christophershennan.ca
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Image by Pete Chapman. Copyright. Used under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license; please note the Disclaimer at this link. We have made no changes to the image.

The Promise of Renewal.

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength…

It is the reality of human life that our powers diminish with age; the energy we had in our younger days fail us when we get older.

 

We have bursts of energy yet they grow shorter and shorter as time progresses. Things we used to do almost without effort before become difficult, until we finally cannot do them at all.

 

Even if it is not age that depletes our strength, the vicissitudes of life wear us down, and discouragement sets in. Life “happens” to us in varied degrees of intensity, and even if it is peppered with periods of tranquility and joy, we find ourselves lacking the exuberance and confidence we once had. Disillusionment takes the edge off of life and we wonder where all our zest for life went.

 

Chippie

 

The following is a true story from an unknown source concerning a parakeet named Chippie:

“One second he was peacefully perched in his cage singing the day away. The next he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over.

 

“The problems began when Chippie’s owner decided to clean Chippie’s cage – with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the attachment from the end of the hose and stuck it in the cage. The phone rang, and she turned to pick it up. She’s barely said, ‘hallo’ when ‘ssssopp’ Chippie got sucked in. The vacuum made that high loud squeal, like it only does when no air can get to the fan.

 

“The bird owner gasped, put down the phone, looked over and her heart sank – no Chippie – she quickly turned off the vacuum, and opened the bag. And there was chippie – still alive, but stunned.

 

“Since the bird was covered with dust and soot from the vacuum, she grabbed it and raced to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and held Chippie under the running water.

“Then, realizing Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do…she reached for the hair-dryer and blasted the pet with hot air.

 

“Poor Chippie never knew what hit him.

 

“A few days after the trauma, the reporter who’d initially written about the event contacted Chippie’s owner to see how the bird was recovering. ‘Well,’ she replied, ‘Chippie doesn’t sing much anymore – he just sits and stares.’ ”

 

Sometimes, life deals us blows over which we have no control. One moment we have a song in our heart and a spring to our step, the next we are sucked in, washed up, and blown over. We are stunned, and the song on our lips dies.

 

All we can do is sit and stare, wondering if we will ever regain our positive outlook on life. Like Chippie, the song we used to sing is silenced. Unlike Chippie, we can learn to sing again.

 

That is what it means to experience the renewal that comes from waiting on the LORD. He promises we will sing again if we will only learn to wait upon Him in that available, and dependent, state of being. He will renew our strength.