“the Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners...” isaiah 61:1
this is the day we observe, when so many years ago, my savior Jesus was crucified. it is too much to bear to consider that He would die for me, and indeed for people everywhere.
even though i cannot comprehend Jesus’ love, i am grateful and so humbled to receive Him especially during this harrowing season—which we continue to go through even now. the weight of depression i’ve been suffering from, the inner emotional pain of the choices i must make and the stress of life...all i’ve wanted to do is curl up into a ball (with a pint or two of ice cream) and hibernate.
yet the grace of God reaches out to me even now—especially now—through my children, who force me into life by their very beings, through my husband, who after 19 years of marriage and 30 years of friendship, is still the one i look to in this life, through the friends who continue to stick by me even through the storms of life.
depression though, threatens to suck even grace from the face of the earth, if that were possible. at the very least, it renders you unable to receive anything good. it is a dark place indeed.
yet, i am never so lost that my God cannot find me. never so hidden in darkness that His light cannot penetrate. never out of reach of His grace or love. and neither are you, dear friend, neither are you.
because although it is true that Jesus died and went through unfathomable physical pain and complete spiritual and emotional brokenness, it is also true that He rose again. the love of the Father reached into that dark and dank tomb and from it, brought life and hope, not just for today and our ills, but for always. oh, that my savior knows and loves me with an intimacy that is uncomfortable and embarassing and profound. to know that He came to bind up my brokenheartedness and set me free. to this truth and to this Jesus I cling.
