Rhyme and Reason
Anyone who has known me any length of time knows I love poetry. I love reading it. I love writing it. In my dark days of depression and anxiety, I would often hide out, writing poems and stowing them away in a notebook which I would then hide so no one else could read them. In my severely introverted state, I didn’t want anyone to know my true thoughts and feelings because I was convinced, by an unseen enemy, that if anyone found out my secrets they would have me committed.
There was no rhyme or reason for my poems, only a desire to alleviate the pain I was suffering. To me, the only way to get relief from the debilitating, nearly crippling, pressure from the depression, oppression, anxiety, and all-out hopelessness I was experiencing, was to write it out. Hence, why I wrote poetry.
Of course, I did read my poems to my husband who always assured me my writing was amazing. He liked them. He also encouraged me to share them with others. I never would. I was too afraid (another lie of the devil – fear). I was afraid of what people might think. I was afraid someone would read between the lines and know my secrets, then tell on me and get me in trouble with others. What a crock of lies!
In John 8:44 (NLT), this is what Jesus says of the devil, “…He was a murderer from the beginning He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
Jesus goes on to say this in verse 45, “So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me!”
For way too many years, I was just like this. I believed the lies of the devil, rather than the promises of Jesus. I was convinced I would always suffer depression. I was convinced I would always be overweight. I was convinced I was not pretty, not talented, worthless, and would end up suffering a life-threatening, or terminal disease, or quite possibly more than one health issue. Why did I believe this? Because those lies, those curses, were spoken over me by family members!
You know them, too. Those curses that begin or end with, “It runs in the family.” So, why not believe them? Great-grandma had it. Grandma had it. Mom had it. Auntie has it. Shouldn’t I also? Well I say, NO! No more! In fact, I did say it. Just because one or more members of my family have had to walk through a life-threatening, or terminal disease, does not mean that I will, nor will my children or grandchildren. Why? Because of Jesus.
The Bible states, very matter-of-fact, “By His stripes we are healed,” (1 Peter 2:24, emphasis is mine). It also says that no weapon formed against us will prosper, and every tongue that rises against us, we will silence (Isaiah 54:17). There are so many promises throughout the Bible that contradict the lies of the enemy. One night, I began to realize that and decided I was going to believe the LORD instead of the enemy and those who allowed themselves to repeat his lies. That one, special night was the night He healed me and I walked away completely, and forever changed.
Life throws us unfair circumstances way too often. We are thrown into things we would rather not have to deal with, yet it happens. We are fed lies and lied about. We are given diagnoses that rattle our faith and shake us to the very core of our being. We have a good day here, and the next day we find ourselves on the ground, knocked down my life’s circumstances. There’s no rhyme or reason for it. However, there is always an answer. His name is Jesus, and His name is above every name.
“Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above every name,” Philippians 2:9 (NLT)
Jesus even said that we would have days like this, but He also gave us encouragement for when we do go through the trenches.
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world,” John 16:33 (NLT).
Sure, we are going to go through a lot of stuff in our lifetime. Nevertheless, we don’t have to let those things control us, keep us down, or destroy us. We don’t have to hide away, secretly writing poetry to get us through our dark days. Instead, we can lift our heads, stand back up, brush ourselves off, smile, and keep going. We can do this because we know Jesus went through the same things for us, and He WON… therefore we win!
That is why I can stand today and say the things I do.
That is why I can encourage others.
That is why I don’t have to hide in a closet.
I broke out of the closet of depression and despair. I rose up out of the dark pit, the black hole, the fog, whatever you want to call it, and I can now see clearly the path laid before me. It may sound like a cliché, but I assure you it has way more truth to it than the lies many are believing today.
Life is like a poem. Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason to the things that go on. However, when we begin to focus on Jesus, to put our lives in His capable, healing hands, He makes beautiful prose out of our mess and gives us the rhythm in which to move forward.
May you all find your rhythm through Jesus today.
