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T.O.D.A.Y.'S ENCOURAGEMENT for Sept. 07, 2010
T.O.D.A.Y. Ministries Good Morning! I hope all of you enjoyed your long
Holiday weekend! I opted not to send anything Monday, but will continue
today~~~~~~~ I never thought that I would be sharing
this area of my life with all of the readers of my daily Encouragements, but it
is part of my personal testimony and it is what The Lord has instructed me to
do. I am trusting Him completely with this....it is not easy for me. But, if it
will help someone understand how they got in to the "depression cycle"...or if
it will help someone know how they can "avoid" going there....or if it will help
someone to be patient and compassionate with those that are there, then I must
do what ever it takes! In Friday's Encouragement, I listed how
the "cycle" works....first self-condemnation, then self-pity, then depression,
then destructive behavior, which leads back to self-condemnation, etc. I will
start with how it started with me~~~~~I did not know how dangerous it was for me
to criticize myself. I thought it was something that I should do. After all, I
had been "criticized" by others, and it had made an impression on my
self-esteem...so if I made a mistake of any kind, then I would "come down on
myself". Please hear what I am saying! I was always feeling "guilty" about any
thing that I did wrong, and then I would feel "condemned". Eventually, that
would lead me in to feeling sorry for myself because I felt like I was not as
good as someone else, and always thinking, "What is wrong with me"? That kind of
thinking may seem perfectly normal and harmless to some of you, but trust
me.....it is NOT!! Remember, at the time that I was moving
in this "cycle"...I did not know anything about the Word of God concerning these
things. I did not know about 1John 1:9 that tells us that God will forgive all
of our "mistakes". I did not know about Romans 8:1 that tells us that there is
absolutely NO "condemnation" to those who are in Christ Jesus! I did not know
about Romans 14:22 that tells us this~~~~ HAPPY is the person who does not
condemn himself! Praise God for HIS WORD!!! I will continue to talk about the
"cycle" in my next Encouragement~~~~~~~~ Have a Blessed Day!! In His Love,
Luanne
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