Letters for the Downhearted
Dear downhearted, What is making you want to flee or fight today? Maybe regime change, debilitating illness, home eviction, or dying family is no longer a looming threat but your reality as we close 2020. Mephibosheth feared and endured similar troubles. For him, regime change included the death of his grandfather, King Saul, and father, …
Read the full letterDear downhearted, As we approach the turn of a calendar, perhaps you feel the weight of a long year. Maybe these lengthy winter nights epitomize the emotional darkness of your days. “Afflicted saint, to Christ draw near”, you may read hopelessly for the pall of exhaustion that envelopes the way to him. Yet these very …
Read the full letterDear downhearted, In writing to you about discontentment, I am writing about a familiar foe of my own, and it usually shows itself in the form of envy or covetousness. I see good things someone else has, especially if they have more of it than I, and my heart sinks. However discontentment shows itself in …
Read the full letterDear downhearted, I know that this time of year can be one of the loneliest seasons. That’s true any year, but especially in this year of lockdowns, social distancing, and isolation. I think we are all feeling a bit lonely. If you already struggle with feelings of loneliness, then this year is even tougher. Did …
Read the full letterDear downhearted, I understand how you feel. I have dealt with loneliness much of my life. Even in the midst of friends and family, we can feel misunderstood, ignored, unknown, and even unloved. Sometimes we look at others and wish we had the friends and family they have; behind the veil though, they deal with …
Read the full letterDear downhearted, Jesus knows the pain of grief. It is true that God has a purpose for all of our pain and all of our grief. In Christ, we can rejoice that one day all of our tears will be wiped away and we will no longer know the pain of grief. However, acknowledging that …
Read the full letterDear downhearted, Are you struggling with a heightened sense of uncertainty in this season? I don’t blame you if you do. There is a lot of uncertainty right now. We don’t know what’s coming next. There’s been so much uncertainty and change in 2020 that is has become almost like a joke at this point. …
Read the full letterDear downhearted, You’re not alone. I’m weary too. Sometimes just knowing that helps. What’s making you weary? Not sure? That’s when you really know you’re weary. You’re exhausted and overwhelmed and don’t even know why. Slow down for a moment; it will probably come to you. Me? I think that I am weary from all …
Read the full letterDear downhearted, Discontentment is a problem that is as old as the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were discontent; they ached over the forbidden fruit that she didn’t have and were willing to be done with God in order to have it. What is contentment? In The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, 17th century …
Read the full letterDear downhearted, Did you know that in the beginning of the Bible, after God created light and darkness, sun and moon, water, sky, land, plants, animals, and the first human being, there was still something about His creation that was not good? Genesis 2:18 begins by saying, “Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not …
Read the full letterDear downhearted, Jesus gives a curious word of consolation to his disciples in Matthew 5:4: Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Mourning can be understood as grief and sorrow caused by profound loss. Certainly when I reflect on how the troubles of this year have impacted us, this is a fitting …
Read the full letterDear Downhearted, Contentment is not out of reach because Christ is not out of reach. If you are anything like me, contentment is a state of being that always seems to be a few inches out of your grasp. Contentment for me feels like it lies right on the other side of my next career …
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