Everyone has something to say. We all “have a voice,” as the adage goes.
It seems most people have at least watched an online video of somebody ranting or raving (or both) about something. There are folks who continue to use their platform to get their message out to the general public — whether or not it should be heard. I’m sure they’re still around, but we used to call this sort of thing “vanity publishing.” Vanity publishing is a way for people to get their heart-felt poetry or short-stories published and into an attractive binding so it can be treasured for the literary achievement the writer thinks it is — they very rarely are, but I’ve used such a service, so I’m allowed to talk about it. I have the dusty book to prove it.
A gray-haired pastor friend of mine leaned toward my left ear and offered me some sage wisdom one day. He said, “Not everyone needs the microphone.” I pretty much understood what he meant once the words hit my auditory cortex, but, according to God’s perfect will, I had to experience what he meant. God has a skillful way of showing me things because He knows I’m more of a visual learner than an audio learner, but He also wanted me to have a story to tell for times like this. God is good, isn’t He?
Our sins against others and the sins of others against us have tainted our minds and wounded our souls causing us to see ourselves, and the world around us, with distortion and with static buzzing in our ears. It’s very difficult to be motivated when all you see and hear is negativity.
There are those who do not want you to succeed. There are people who otherwise love you who do not want you to succeed. They are afraid you will succeed and make them look bad. Some people will sabotage your efforts to find an improved way of life like a new job or a new girl- or boyfriend because they want the focus to be on them, not you. There are people who are going to have to be excused from your life if you are to truly defeat depression. There are energy vampires, guilt trippers, and gossip mongers who suck your life force, remind you of your mistakes, and talk about you to meaningful people in your life. They must go. Including Satan and his demons.
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Let me explain. Have you ever watched the movie, The Little Mermaid? Do you recall the scene where as Ariel sings her heart out, ghostly, clawed hands reach out to take her voice from her as she exchanges her voice for a human body? The mermaid willingly trades her voice to the evil Ursula (a type of Satan) for what boils down to a pair of legs.
You might not have ever thought about it this way, but there might have been something in your life, some little thing in which you compromised, some decision you made, to alter yourself for someone and feel as though you have never gotten that part of yourself back. You may have stifled a talent or desire in trade of a friendship or some sort of a “better life,” but you’ve discovered that it was for naught and you want a “second chance to make a first impression.”
That compromise, that decision to alter yourself, may be the root of your depression. It’s a very good thing we have a God who loves giving us second chances! He never gives up on us and wants us to become everything He made us to be — even if we are gray-haired and living in a nursing home! You’re never too old (or too young) to glorify God!
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The butterfly is a popular Christian symbol because they have been metamorphosed from a plain-looking caterpillar into the beautifully colorful and colorfully beautiful delicate and delightful completely new creation. The caterpillar isn’t conscious of what it will become, it simply acts on the instincts God gave it back when He designed caterpillars to become butterflies. Clearly, God wanted to give us a symbol of transformation and resurrection and the caterpillar-to-butterfly metamorphosis is the crescendo of His creative and communicative prowess.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new has come!”
Maybe there’s a song in your heart that must be sung. It might be a poem or, maybe, there’s a great novel, or an idea for an app that will make our lives more stable and productive and alleviate loneliness. It might be a fantastic new dance, a brand new business, a masterpiece painting, or an invention that’s lying dormant inside you. You might need to have something you forfeit or that the devil took from you be restored for you to take the next step in defeating depression. Hey … if we agree with Him, God will provide the way for us to fulfill the life He designed us to live.
Prayer
Father God, I am so thankful You have not given up on me at all, ever! I am grateful that You will never leave me or forsake me. I decide, today, to partner with You once and for all, so Your Kingdom will come into my heart and Your will will be done in my life first and then in the world through me. I ask that You would reveal the times in my life where I have compromised and allowed the devil to steal my voice. We have work to do, Lord! You made me for a purpose and I want to see it come to fruition starting now. I want my voice back! Actually, I want everything the devil (Satan) stole from me and I apologize, Lord, for forfeiting those things that have kept me from the life You made me to live. Please help me turn this boat completely around and go in the right direction forever. I need Your help every single day. Please guide me through my memories and purify me from the inside out — starting with the things that affect me the most. Strengthen me, Lord, so I can do this. There are days when it seems too difficult, but I know those are the times when I can lean on You the most. Thank You, Jesus, for the blood You shed for me and lead me to the place where I am firmly situated in You. I want to completely get right so I can help others get right. Help me glorify You. In Your name, Lord Jesus, I pray, amen!
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