"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."Isaiah 41:10
I turned on the radio last week as I was traveling back from Parker and I came across this sweet voice singing…
Talkin' to myself and feelin' old Sometimes I'd like to quit Nothin' ever seems to fit Hangin' around Nothin' to do but frown Rainy days and Mondays always get me down
What I've got they used to call the blues Nothin' is really wrong Feelin' like I don't belong Walkin' around Some kind of lonely clown Rainy days and Mondays always get me down
You may remember those words were sung by Karen Carpenter back in the 80’s. In some ways, these lyrics are haunting because it’s how so many people feel – lost and alone. Would you agree that life’s hurts have a way of hanging around and making us feel like we don't belong?
After spending her teenage years being called “chubby”, and some serious family issues, Karen Carpenter resorted to an intense regimen of dieting. What started as seemingly harmless weight loss, evolved into an eating disorder of habitual restricting and vomit-inducing drug abuse that ultimately took her life at the young age of 32. Karen said, “Food became a curse instead of comfort, food brought intense isolation to my mind.”
Feeling alone and isolated in life’s hurts is a dangerous place. Whether it’s experiencing food as a curse or experiencing food as a comfort (as I do), comes with a sense of isolation and loneliness because guilt and shame begin to haunt the mind.
I have fought food addiction most of my life. It’s only in the last few years that I’ve connected it to brokenness and loneliness. Letting God into those places of my life is just as important as letting God into your brokenness and loneliness. In most cases, it’s the broken places in our lives that brings about emotional and spiritual isolation.
There is hope! It’s found in a God who loves us even when we feel unlovable and untouchable. Karen's song ends with, "run and find the one who loves you" - that's God! It’s trusting God to peal away the layers of emotions and experiences that constantly hunt us down and condemningly haunt our thinking. Jesus promised us an “abundant life” and that starts with releasing the toxic thinking by way of the grace of God. It worked for John Newton who wrote “Amazing Grace”, and it worked for me!
If only Karen could have experienced this kind of release!
There is always the presence of hope because the sovereignty of God drives out the fear that there’s no hope! A great way to defeat fear is to introduce fear to your faith! We need to see faith as an attack dog on our behalf, ready to tear into fear that tries to tell us all hope is gone and that we can never overcome brokenness!
So with God's help, rainy days and Mondays aren't so bad!
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