Perplexed, but not in despair

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken."With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
~2 Corinthians 4:7-18

Though Paul was writing about his gospel ministry in particular, these seem like great verses to live by in this journey we call life. I am certainly feeling how clay-like my body is, and those descriptors (hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted, struck down) strike pretty close to home sometimes. But the truth is also found in the contrasting words (not crushed, not in despair, not abandoned, not destroyed). These things are true of us who live, not for ourselves, but for Christ-- those who have been purchased by His blood. Putting these truths into practice and living as if they are actually and really and in fact true is the challenge of the Christian life.

I think these verses describe well what I mean when I say I feel "oppressed". I am hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. I am even frustrated at times, and dog-tired. It is, frankly, no fun to be hard pressed or perplexed or persecuted or struck down.

How do we survive it without becoming crushed and despairing and feeling abandoned and being destroyed? We can do it because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us in His presence. We do it because we know that though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles (even when they don't seem so light and momentary to us)are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

One of the things I try to do here on this blog is to process my own feelings as honestly as I can. I think that within the Christian community we are often hesitant to discuss our struggles because it will make us look less holy, or it will cause others to see how wretched we really are. The truth is, the Christian community is made up of wretched people, just like me. I struggle and hurt and Christ succeeds where I fail. My hope is that if you struggle, Gentle Reader, you will see that you are not alone.

But in addition to the honesty I hope to share here, I need to preach the gospel to myself over and over again, every day, in every circumstance. So, I preach it to myself, and I share it with you. Our eyes wander so. Let's encourage one another to keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus.

Today I looked up definitions of the words I discussed briefly yesterday. Here is what I found:
Depression: A mental state characterized by a pessimistic sense of inadequacy and a despondent lack of activity.
Oppression: A feeling of being heavily weighed down in mind or body.
If we are looking at ourselves, Gentle Reader, we will all be depressed: we will have a pessimistic sense of our inadequacy, because, well, we are actually inadequate, with little hope for improvement. And it can appear devastating enough to make us despondent. But when we look to Christ, and realize that when God looks at us He sees Christ, we have no fear of inadequacy in Him. Then we may feel hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted or struck down, but we will remember to fix our eyes on Christ, and that in Him we are more than conquerors. I love these verses from Romans chapter 8. May we each live in this reality:

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

A brief P.S. As I said in my post yesterday, there are sometimes sin issues involved in depression, but there are also, many times, chemical-physical issues that need treatment. I am grateful that we have the opportunity to medically treat many of those chemical-physical issues when they occur, and think we should embrace this blessing of God without hesitation or shame.