This morning our Sunday School lesson was taken from Job. We had an excellent discussion on hopelessness. Is it okay to feel hopeless? Is their a difference between hopelessness and discouragement or depression? Is it okay to tell God you feel alone and forsaken?
Thoughts anyone?
3 comments:
It seems to me that though hopelessness, or the absence of hope, might apply to a situation such as expecting 2 plus 2 to eventually equal 5, I'm at a loss to come up with an example as to how it applies to the human condition. Even though Job suffered tremendously from numerous afflictions, I think it would have been human for him to have hoped that it would end at some point. Wouldn't someone who was told he was terminally ill have hope that a mistake had been made in the diagnosis, or that a cure would soon be available, or ultimately, hope of eternal life? One may be so afflicted that things seem hopeless, and there shouldn't be any shame in feeling that way; but isn't there always hope?
Discouragement and depression strike me as temporary conditions which are to be expected occasionally and are countered eventually during the normal course of events by their cousins, encouragement and exhilaration. May God bless anyone who's feeling hopeless.
Great questions!! I am not sure if there are easy answers tho. I think we do feel hopeless sometimes but I am not sure we should stay there because God is a God of hope. I do think it is okay to tell God how you feel no matter how bad it is...depressed, hopeless, forsaken, etc. God does understand!!! But then we also must wait and listen to God's reply to our heart cry. Depression is a mult-faceted thing..it includes spiritual,physical, emotional parts. To say it is wrong to feel any of the above would not be right in my opinion but I would hope we can find our way to keep moving forward. In this we do need others help sometimes. Good stuff to ponder!!!
My sister-in-law taught our class Sunday, and she believes this way--it's not wrong to ask God why, but it becomes wrong when we let it develop into self-pity. I agree--do you?
~Lez
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