Back to Center
What makes some people so positive, while others wallow in misery and depression?
Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold and there is no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will exult in the God of my salvation. - Habakkuk 3:17-18
Today's reading is from a book many of us may never have read, Habakkuk.
Six centuries before Christ, this prophet, whose name has been translated as "Embrace" or "One who embraces," wrote about the challenges of understanding why we struggle and how we survive in this world.
While we may not have read his writings, we should be familiar with his message, since it is used in several of Paul's epistles. We are justified by faith. It is through our faith that we survive in this world.
Habakkuk is a prophet who talks directly with God. We feel like we are listening in on a conversation and that is what makes it so compelling to read.
O LORD, I have heard of your renown, and I stand in awe, O LORD, of your work.
If we can put our egos aside and stand in awe of God's work, we can discover amazing things, and we can be filled with hope, rather than beaten down by despair.
When I encounter people who are filled with pain and anger, I wonder if they will ever be able to get themselves back to center. Can we rely on our faith to guide us?
I think so.
It is easy to be depressed. Yes, I know that clinical depression is a disease, but I also think it is possible to will ourselves into it, to use the power of the brain to change our internal chemistry and bring on the symptoms, if not the disease itself.
Does that mean we can cure ourselves? Even science isn't sure that the answer to that is "No."
People who are in recovery from addiction tell me that they couldn't do it alone. They needed help from others and from God. Maybe that is the lesson Habakkuk is trying to get us to hear.
We are not alone and we are not alone with God, either. He put us all here to serve each other and help each other, not just to praise him.
So, we need to look at where we are, how far we are off center in our lives, and we need to come back. In the process, we need to invite others to join us. The more the merrier.
We probably won't cure depression or solve the causes of despair, but we can make the burden a bit easier to carry for those who are struggling along with us.
More to come...