Hi guys,

I’m sure my last post must have left a lot of you feeling gloomy. I kinda feel bad every time I don’t stick to the vision of my blog, which is to “inspire you to live victorious lives.” What I’ve come to understand however, is that living a victorious life doesn’t mean I’ll always write about rainbows and unicorns. I’ve always been honest here and I wouldn’t hesitate to use my life experiences to pass a message of how you too can be victorious.

Going through dark phases can be really tough, especially when you don’t have people around who understand you. But I don’t want you to linger too long in that dark phase, I want you to come out of it victorious. So sitback and enjoy the tidbits I’d be sharing as the Holy Spirit guides me.

1. Christians go through dark phases: true! Being a Christian doesn’t mean you’re completely immune from being sad or getting depressed. I’ve come to understand that that’s part of human existence. Take a look at some guys in the Bible like Elijah, who was a man of power but had a dark phase where he told God to take his life. David, a man who praised, but who also had moments of being so down that he’d ask his soul literally, ‘why are you downcast?’ Jesus at some point would also isolate himself and cry out to God in distress. He also had moments where he felt abandoned. Naomi who was rather cheerful had her dark phase of severe bitterness. So you see, even Christians get anxious, sad, depressed and even think suicidal thoughts. But that’s not the end of the story.

Every one going through a dark phase has a crutch: what is your crutch? Is it the sleeping pills you’re abusing? The bottom of the bottle? Sex? Intense partying that numbs the loneliness? Overly sarcastic jokes that hide genuine feelings? What is that thing you do in a dark phase to try and somehow survive or get through it? Here’s where the difference lies. As Christians, our crutch is God. All those guys I mentioned above did not hesitate to cry out to God when they were feeling low. I keep this journal that I write to God, and on sad days I get really dark on those pages. I tell him how I feel about life, how I ponder on death and every thing in between. You don’t have to get in a ‘mood’ of prayers before you talk to him. If you’re not honest with God, who are you honest with?

God is the health and help of our countenance. I also read in PS 27:1 that he’s our light and salvation. This means that as the darkness and gloom cover our hearts, he’s able to shine his light and bring back health to our countenance. This, my friend, is why you should go to Him in this period.

2. Food does the trick: I’m a foodie, and I don’t hesitate to eat junk food when I’m sad or feeling low. But I also realize some people don’t eat during this phase. When David’s first son from Beth fell sick as the prophet had earlier warned, he was so depressed and wouldn’t eat anything. But when light broke in, he arose and went to dine. Elijah too had that moment of depression before God woke him up to eat in 1 KgS 14:4-5. Isn’t it amazing to note that God feeds us at this time! How I literally have money to spare for ice creams in a dark phase is also a miracle 😃 I remember when I was going through a crazy heart break, and I indulged in so many dishes and milkshakes; looking back I was shocked at how I had that much money to spare. Lol. God makes provisions for us in times of need. So rise up and eat.

3. Don’t stay there forever: anxiety and depression may be a part of the world, but you need to remind yourself that you’re not of this world. If you’ve been saved, you’re going to a world where there’ll be no crying again but only rejoicing. And remember, salvation is for everyone, not a just select few. That’s the hope that keeps us going in this dark world. The hope that makes us wake up in the morning and somehow make it through the day. Life doesn’t end here on earth, so why take your life? You also don’t get to experience living here in this body forever, so why spend half of it in depression?

4. It’s not just about you: let’s be honest, the dark phase can make us really selfish. We put our feelings first. We claim others are the ones with the problem. We do find it hard to look beyond ourselves and lend a helping hand to those in need. But when you realize the world isn’t rotating around you alone and you open your heart to those in pain as well, you’d find out that it gets easier. Sharing burdens make them lighter. Listening to others makes you more compassionate.

Yikes! I realize this is going longer than I planned. So I’ll try to stop here. Whatever it is you’re going through, just know you can come out of it victoriously with God’s help.

Lots of love,

M.