Sincerely Speaking

Gal.6:2 (TLB) “Share each other’s troubles and problems, and so obey our Lord’s command.”

James 5:16 (ERV) “So always tell each other the wrong things you have done. Then pray for each other. Do this so that God can heal you. Anyone who lives the way God wants can pray, and great things will happen.” Permit me to paraphrase this scripture to read, “So always tell (the Godly people you do life with about your struggles). Then pray for each other. Do this so that God can heal you. Anyone who lives the way God wants can pray, and great things will happen.” How can your response to the question, ‘how are you’, be ‘I am fine’ when you are in fact hurting?

Make up your mind, to be honest, and vulnerable to the people you do life with. I am not saying you should tell everyone you meet that you are hurting. The emphasis is on the people you do life with. Can we for once hear a response like, ‘I am hurting, and I need someone to talk to’? Do I get an Amen? Instead of, ‘how are you?’ and the response is, ‘All is well!’ Master Christianesse. People can see that things are really bad, but your response is still, ‘All shall be well’. That is the foundation of hypocrisy. When a husband can lie to his wife that all will be well when all is not well. I am not talking about faith here. This is different and I am sure you get what I am saying.

You might stay in depression alone, you might sit in depression alone, but you are not designed to make it through depression alone. You are not! And that kind of vulnerability is critical to healing. From the story in 1 Sam.1:1-18, there were two people Hannah opened up to. These two people are symbolic of the two kinds of people you must open up to if you want to be healed of depression. The two people Hannah opened up to were Elkanah (her husband) and Eli (the man of God). 1 Sam.1:8 (NCV) “Her husband Elkanah would say to her, ‘Hannah, why are you crying and why won’t you eat?  Why are you sad?  Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?’” (emphasis added)

I do not think Elkanah was trying to ridicule Hannah or to make light of what she was going through. I know every woman would say, give me a son first or perhaps ten. Yet, Elkanah was not playing with Hannah’s emotions. What I think he meant was, ‘Hannah, I love you. Even if God does not give us a child, I will still love you. It does not matter whether you have a son or ten sons.’ I pray for every single lady reading this, that you marry someone that will love you regardless and you will be fruitful, in the Mighty Name of Jesus.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, I ask for the courage to be vulnerable to God-chosen people I do life with about my struggles and find healing and support, in Jesus Name. Amen!