To The One Who Is In A Season Of Spiritual Deadness
Hey, you.
I’m not sure if you can relate, but sometimes life just hits you with a giant rock outta nowhere, leaving your face smushed in the dirt and the wind knocked out of you.
Sometimes we go through seasons of confusion, seasons of brokenness, and seasons of loss. Sometimes we go through seasons of spiritual deadness where we feel super far from God and have no motivation to seek Him. And we have no idea what to do about it.
Been there, done that. (You can read more about my story here.)
However, no matter how long we're on the ground, or how bad the darkness gets, one thing is always the same. It ends. And Jesus remains.
Trust me on this. I’ve been in the pit of depression, and I came out on the other side.
I don’t know what season of life you’re in right now. I don’t know what’s going on in your world or what obstacles you’re facing. But I do know pain. And I know what it’s like to feel empty and miserable on the inside.
So, I want to share with you what helped me in those seasons.
First, let me walk you through the last few days of Jesus’ life. (There’s a method to my madness, don’t worry!)
Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, there was a very cool dude by the name of Jesus. This guy was the Son of God, God incarnate, and He lived his life in pure innocence, never doing anything wrong. He walked and talked with people, cried, laughed, had inside jokes with his mother, and did the dishes after dinner.
And He had an inside tip that Bugs Bunny was about to die!
Just kidding.
He had an inside tip that He was about to die.
You see, Jesus was placed on earth for a purpose, and that purpose was to save humanity from its own filth. Humanity committed treason against God, and death was the punishment for that treason. So, in an act of amazing love, Jesus stepped up to the Judge and said, “I’ll pay the price so they can go free.”
And He died. In fact, He endured the absolute worst pain imaginable, physically, mentally, and spiritually.
In that moment right before His death, He was completely separated from God. He had no joy in Him, no peace, no life. He became an empty shell full of misery and pain.
He died.
Maybe you feel like dying. Maybe you feel dead on the inside.
Maybe you're right there with him, feeling numb and depressed and just...tired.
Maybe you've been hurt too many times by a boy, insulted by your friends, treated not-very-nicely by your parents, insulted by a coworker, or maybe you’re just in a season for no reason at all. I don't know.
I don't know your story, but I do know this: It gets better.
Wanna know how I know? Because three days later, Jesus came back to life. He conquered death and sin and every bad thing ever. He made a way for us to overcome the sin and pain that is haunting us in whispers of defeat. (Click here for the full story.)
He defeated what was meant to defeat us.
“Wait, Keela. That’s all fine and dandy. Jesus died and rose again. What’s that got to do with me right now? I don’t want the Christian cliche crap where you tell me to just have a little more faith because Jesus loves me. I want an answer.”
I. Don’t. Blame. You.
I hate Christian cliches just as much as the next person, so I’m not going to give you one. I’m going to give you a truth bomb that will blow those cliches out of the water.
So just listen for a hot sec, will ya?
Once you accept Christ, you are a Christian. Christian means to be a "little Christ,” to follow in Jesus' footsteps, to live the life He lived.
Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:5-11 NLT, emphasis added)
As followers of Christ, we die with Christ, and we are also raised to life with Christ. And this doesn’t just happen once. It’s an ongoing process.
What that means is that you will face hardship. You will be hurt. You will be weary. You will die (figuratively).
But you will also live. Because that giant rock that life threw at you was just rolled away, and Jesus was just awakened from the dead.
Pssssttt...is that where we got the idea of zombies from?
As you will endure Christ's hardship and death, you will also endure His resurrection and life.
The hopelessness will die, and hope will live on.
Pain will end, and joy will endure.
The darkness will flee, and the light will shine.
You can find abundance in the emptiness if you hold onto the hope of the resurrection.
Hold onto that. Hold onto the truth that you will have life again. And not just life, but abundant life, for that is what Christ died to give you.
Hold onto the hope of the resurrection.
Jesus rose, and you will rise, too.
Okay, so you have your hope. You’ll get better. But what’s a gal to do RIGHT NOW? How do you feel better right now and maybe slightly less spiritually dead?
Well, first, I invite you to check out this post that talks about why you might be feeling that way. Uncovering the root cause is how you weed out the symptoms. You can’t be cured if you’re never diagnosed, so I would (1) check out this post, (2) pray and ask God why you feel this way (instead of just asking Him to make it go away), and (3) commit to obeying Him.
Once you’ve done that, these are some action steps that have truly helped me get through seasons of spiritual deadness. Seriously, do them. They are life-changers. Even if it takes time and you have to do them in small bites, God sees you seeking Him, and He promises to help you (Jeremiah 29:13).
Action Steps To FIND HOPE AGAIN AND KICK DEPRESSION IN THE TEETH:
Look for the good amidst the bad. Look for beauty even when all you see is filth. Look for God in everything, and you will see Him. (Philippians 17:22)
Get in the Word. It is your lifeline to Jesus. Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. Want Life? Want to be resurrected from your spiritual deadness? Seek Jesus. Choose Jesus. Dive into the Word, because often times, we feel dead because we're not choosing to follow Christ and be alive in Him. (Joshua 1:8) (Oh, hey, and check out this ecourse that teaches you step-by-step how to study the Bible.)
Pray for renewal. Pour out your soul to the Comforter. Scream, yell, cry, but let Him have all of your burdens and your pain. He will understand, and He will not bite your head off. Trust me. Been there, done that. (Psalm 51)
Surrender your will to His. Trust that He knows better, and that He's got you. Because He does, I promise. (Isaiah 55:9)
Find fellowship. Friends can do sooooo much. They can show you what you cannot see for yourself. And they can pray for you and love you and encourage you and be such a blessing. Okay? Find a community of Jesus-lovers, and let them love you. (Colossians 3:12-14)
Check out this post for more practical steps for overcoming depression.
I know life is tough. I know you can't see God right now, but hold on. He's coming. He's risen from the dead, and He's coming back to grab your hand and take you along for the ride. He's going to save you. He's going to love you and give you abundance. Don't give up while He's running to you.