What Affects You?

Is there something that affects you such that strong feelings well up inside you, perhaps feelings that threaten to bring you to tears – or even do bring you to tears?  The something could be circumstances, events or both.  There are both events and circumstances that can do that for me.  One event in particular is 9/11/01.  When movies were coming out about that horrible event, I knew I couldn’t watch those movies.  Seeing the images of the planes crashing into the buildings still affects me.  Who knows when, if ever, I might view the images, documentaries, or movies without strong feelings welling up in me.  This will probably pass, but the circumstance I describe below most likely will not.

There is also a circumstance that always greatly affects me.  I realized this when I was in graduate school.  I was watching a news show about North Korea.  During that time, they were experiencing a severe famine.  In the news show, they were talking about abandoned babies at an orphanage.  They were showing these little ones each individually in their own little “crib.”  Many of the babies were crying.  I remember imagining how alone the babies were.  I remember imagining them just wanting to be near their mothers, and to wanting to be held by their mothers — to just experience human touch.  Yet, their mothers were not there.  They were alone and crying, by themselves, in their cribs.  I couldn’t help but cry because of the situation.  It was from then on, that I have become emotional when viewing images of suffering children, especially babies.  It is worse when I am not feeling particularly “happy”.  It doesn’t take much, in seeing the circumstance, to get me emotional then.

Recently, I have been wondering if given what the circumstance of suffering children does to me, if I should be persuing some kind of ministry along those lines (helping suffering children — whatever the “suffering” is.)  More specifically and practically, I have been wondering if the next mission trip (or trips) I go on should have some aspect of that help in its (their) goals or mission focus.  I am praying…

The Wind of the Spirit

In the New Testament, pneuma, can be translated as both Spirit and wind (among other english words.)  It is the Spirit or wind that drove me from the Doldrums back into the current of Sanctification that steers me (at the end) into Glorification.  Praise the LORD!  He kind of slapped me around a little bit during a church service the night after the night I wandered into the doldrums.  He reminded me  of some things and corrected me on other things.  So, at the end of the service, I had been blown out of the doldrums.  So, again, praise the LORD and His might ways!

The Doldrums

Last night and this morning I have been experiencing the Doldrums.  When such a thing happens, I cannot help but turn to God in prayer.  It is comforting to know that my Father in heaven will listen to me, and that His Son will intercede or me.  It always helps, but it may not completely remove me from the doldrums.  Time is what is needed as well.  When I “become busy” during the day, doing the things I must do — which usually involves ministry — that also helps, because it can take my mind off the root cause that places me in the doldrums.  Certainly, ministry that is in the service of others can help because it reminds me of the needs of others and not just my own.

A good friend of mine and a fellow blogger mentioned recently some thoughts about triggers.  And there were certainly triggers involved to place me into the doldrums.  Whether they are valid or not, I cannot say.  I also just got done listening to the last part of an excellent teaching on spirtual warfare by Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle.  So, certainly the enemy, being crafty and devious, can take advantage of events and cause such doldrums (making the events into triggers.)

The particular set of triggers (or types) will frequently arise in this time in my life.  They seem to be unavoidable.  It is certainly tempting to turn inward at these times and remove myself from fellowship of others.  I try to fight it, sometimes I win, sometimes I lose (if it is indeed not good to turn inward for a short period of time.)  It is also in these times that my faith is tested.  The core of my faith is not shaken, but the outer edges can threaten to crumble.  If I allow those edges to fall apart, I may fall into sin.  So, I pray for God’s strength in this time.  I pray for His comfort and His peace upon me.

Storms in the Valley

I hear a lot about being in the mountain top or being in a valley. Sometimes, though, I think there are times where one is either in the mountain top or valley and there are storms. A storm can drive someone from the mountain top into a valley. But, what if you are encountering a storm (or storms) while you are in the valley? I have to emphatically say to “get in God’s Word!” This sounds like the pat Christian answer, but it is the ONLY answer.

If we are in the Word and focusing on it (not being distracted) while being in it, we can open ourselves to what the Holy Spirit wants to say to us. The Holy Spirit can speak to us in many ways. He may speak to us and what He says will be in what we are reading. He may guide us to seek Godly counsel from someone. He may also bring to mind something totally irrelevant to what you are reading in the Word, but the mere fact you are open to Him gives you what is needed to hear Him.

I say the above as I currently experience some storms in a valley. I know that the Word will shelter me from the storms, although I remain in the valley. Only God can place me back on the mountain.

Recently some verses in God’s Word have encouraged me:

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all;
he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
                                    - Psalm 34:17-20

Also recently, I was reading Psalm 18, and the Holy Spirit spoke to me of something that was totally irrelevant to the Psalm, but it was something the He wanted me to do. So, for me, it illustrates what I was saying above.