May 10, 2016 - "Attitude Makes A Difference"

Chaplain’s Corner

May 10, 2016

Attitude Makes a Difference

Good Morning, Patriots!

I have a friend whose son was just deployed into "the belly of the beast" and she called me crying the other night. Her husband just died about nine months ago, and she is about to go over the edge. We talked for a very long time on the phone, and she appreciated my encouragement.

This morning, I saw that she had posted on Facebook of her depression and asked for prayers. She did not mention her son's deployment, as this is not supposed to be public knowledge. His is a special operations team, and he is the head of the team. However, she did mention her husband's passing nine months ago and her severe depression. Many of her friends were responding with the basic, "Praying for you" response. I know they all mean well. I chose to write a little bit more. I thought I would share my response to her here so you could use it in your life if you are feeling low, too:

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"I appreciated the phone call and have been praying for your family. As per our conversation, I am honoring your request for privacy. I just want you to remember what I said, and dig down deep inside and let God do a healing in your life. Prayer is a powerful weapon against the hopelessness in this life and this world. Please open your Bible and start reading the book of John. Read it all. I call this the "Love" book, because it really outlines God's love for us, and His will to bring us back into a relationship with Him. It's not "blind faith" when we see Him working in our lives daily. We just have to open our spiritual eyes and see what He is showing us daily. We have to sometimes force ourselves to focus on the positives and the good, when we have a tendency to focus on and wallow in the negatives. Just remember that God never causes these trials in your life. He allows them, for a season, and for a reason, but He is never the reason or cause behind your heartbreak. Remember the book of Job. All of his afflictions were as a result of the Devil seeking to make Job curse God. God allowed it, but he did not instigate it. And when it was all over, God richly blessed Job, and he lived a long life, praising God daily. Remember, too, that Job did not understand what was going on, or why. He thought God was mad at him. He didn't know why, so he humbly just prayed that God would let him die and rest in the grave for a few days until God was no longer mad at him, and then bring him back. Even when he mistakenly thought God was bringing the afflictions on his life, he still remained true to his Heavenly Father. What a fine example for us today! Instead of blaming God or finding fault, it is a matter of choice if we decide to stand back and let God be God. It is a matter of total surrender. It goes against the ingrained feelings we have of always thinking we have to be in control. It is difficult to let go, but at some point, for the sake of sanity, we have to. Your friends and loved ones are praying for you, and prayer is a mighty tool and weapon against the spirit of despair. Bask in the comfort of God's love. Know that there are those around you who love you and support you. God will rescue you from this pit, but we have to reach out and grasp His hand as he offers to pull us out of the depths of depression. We have to take a positive step forward to embrace His love and accept that He is in control, even when everything in our senses says that life seems to be completely out of control. God does not always change our circumstances. Sometimes, He just helps us to adjust our thinking and attitude about those circumstances, and suddenly life takes on a whole new meaning. There can be rejoicing even in the midst of sorrow. In the long run, we can choose to be happy. I choose life; I choose God; I am praying that you will, too... Love you, sister..."

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Please remember that we all have choices daily in how we will face life for another day. If any of you are struggling with depression, I am not a doctor, but I can offer some spiritual guidance and help. In the long run, we all have to take positive steps toward the light. I hope this has encouraged some of you today.

God Bless you all, and:
God Bless America
Stephen King
Chaplain@3upi.com