The RX For Discouragement

The RX For Discouragement

RX

When you’re feeling sick, the prescription that the doctor writes for you is of utmost importance.

Depending on what you’re suffering from, that prescription can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.

We just want to feel better, right?

So what about suffering from Discouragement?

Is there a prescription for that?

Let’s face it.

There’s a lot to be discouraged about these days.

I cringe when I hear about the latest attacks on the family.

Clearly, we’re sinking into a moral decline that, guaranteed, will have devastating effects on the next generation.

No wonder so many parents are feeling discouraged and helpless.

What is the RX for Discouragement?

Is there any relief out there at all?

No question, if you’re suffering from extreme anxiety or depression or have suicidal thoughts, please never feel ashamed about seeking help from a qualified Christian counselor. There are plenty of therapists available on the local level to help you with your struggle.

What if, on the other hand, you’re suffering from “spiritual” discouragement? 

Please know that you’re not alone with that struggle either.

If anyone could identify with the discouragement we feel in our lives, He is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We read in the Bible about His suffering on the Cross.

The betrayal from Judas and the insults and beatings that our Lord suffered at the hands of His evil captors.

All that Jesus went through was predestined so that He would eternally save believers from a demonic world.

the RX for discouragement

The RX for spiritual discouragement is Jesus.

Satan can attack with a vengeance, but through prayer and support from Christian friends, you can receive comfort and strength.

What did Jesus do in the Garden of Gethsemane as the moments drew near for His unbearable physical and spiritual suffering on the Cross?

He prayed.

Know that we are, most assuredly, not alone.

He cares about us and completely understands our deepest fears and emotions.

Who is our Matchless King set to rescue us at the time appointed by God Himself?

Jesus is.

The poem, "He Is"


I believe the following poem is a great reminder of why it’s important to trust God through all of our circumstances. 

He Is!

When you are the neediest, He is the most sufficient.

When you are completely helpless, He is most able.

When you feel totally dependent, He is absolutely dependable.

When you are the weakest, He is the most able

When you are the most alone, He is intimately present.

When you feel you are the leastHe is the greatest!

When you feel the most useless, He is preparing you.

When it is darkest, He is the only Light you need.

When you feel the least secure, He is your Rock and Fortress.

When you are the most humble, He is most gracious.

When you say that you cannot, remember that He can!

– Author Unknown

# # # 


 

Share

The Movie, “Risen”

The Movie, “Risen”

Have you seen the promos for the movie, “Risen?”

It looks like it could be pretty good. I’ve checked local theaters and it appears that, unfortunately, the movie is only being offered on a limited release. For instance, in our hometown, it’s just showing this weekend. I don’t understand that, but I really hope folks turn out to support it. We as Christians need to show Hollywood we want more movies the whole family can see.

Here’s a clip released from Sony Pictures for “Risen,”

I haven’t seen the movie yet or even a promotional copy, but I’m hoping for the best and that the film’s producers have created a believable story line.

I love this verse from Scripture

I’ve read the passages in the Bible about the death and resurrection of Jesus. One verse that always come back to mind is this one from Luke 23:47-48, NASB.

* 47 Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” 48 And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts.

The movie RisenThe centurion praised God! A Roman officer witnessed the horrific events of the Cross and then he praised God.

To praise means to “admire and commend.”

That is so huge and one of the gold nuggets in the Bible that I like to think about. Jesus was experiencing a violent death and yet God’s only Son prayed for His enemies who had nailed Him to the Cross. Jesus also welcomed a repentant thief, also hanging on a cross, into the eternal kingdom that was to come.

JesusCan you imagine the centurion, a non-believer standing guard at the Cross, hearing those precious words of forgiveness from our Lord at a time of His greatest agony?

I try to put myself in his place.

What was going through the centurion’s mind? Perhaps,

No! This can’t be happening.
This man is innocent.
Oh Lord, forgive me.

I get chills.

God bless you this week.

*Bible verse taken from New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Share

No Birds At Auschwitz

“There were no birds at Auschwitz”

Auschwitz concentration camp“There are still no birds at Auschwitz.”

The silence in the room was overwhelming, except for the sounds of a few listeners grabbing Kleenex from their purses.

Those of us in the audience were deeply moved as Dr. Edie Eger shared her triumphant story of survival in a Nazi concentration camp.

I’m sure you’ve studied in history class or perhaps even seen movies about the horror and atrocities that took place in Auschwitz.

Man’s inhumanity to man.

How could this have happened?

Acting less than human and even less than animals, a face of evil drove thousands of brainwashed SS members in World War II to arrest and exterminate millions of Jews during Hitler’s reign of terror.

It is almost incomprehensible that anyone (man, woman or child) could have survived the savagery that took place there in the concentration camps. And yet, there before me, sat this remarkable woman on the stage – a Holocaust survivor and the epitome of grace and forgiveness.

At 87 years old, Dr. Eger can still command a room. Her stories of surviving Auschwitz are unforgettable.

I’m still thinking about them.

She is living history, and it was a privilege to hear her talk about her life. You can read more about her at this link: http://dreee.com/history.html

There are no birds at Auschwitz

No birds at AuschwitzThink about that. It still gives me chills.

I can look out the window of my home and see and hear birds chirping every day. For Dr. Eger, the pleasure of experiencing the beauty of God’s creatures was stolen from her as a young teenager.

Like most of us at age sixteen, she had hopes of fulfilling her dreams and making her life into something wonderful. As a trained ballerina from Hungary, one of her dreams was to become an Olympic gymnast.

That dream was snatched away from her in 1944 as the Nazis took her and her family to Auschwitz.

Upon arrival at the camp, her parents were taken away. She and her sister never saw their father again and were told that their mother was in another line somewhere to take a  “shower.”

Dr. Eger could have lost all hope, but as she told us, that’s all she and her fellow prisoners had to cling to in a death camp – Hope.

More chills.

Dr. Eger and her sister had their hair shaved off immediately. Everything was taken from them – their jewelry, clothing – all of it and every day, they would wake up and think “What next?”

Surviving The Horror

Despite the constant fear and intimidation hurled at them from their captors, Dr. Eger held onto the fact that she would defiantly survive this horror.

“They” could never take away her memories and they could never take away her spirit. She willed to live in spite of everything that was happening to her and around her.

She remembers the needle sticking in her arm as she was forced to give blood which was then used to save the lives of injured Nazis.

One of her most chilling memories was that she was selected to dance in front of Dr. Josef Mengele, also known as the “angel of death.” I guess he needed some entertainment in his down time.

Besides Dr. Eger’s unwavering will to live, her talent as a ballerina was just one of her abilities that helped keep her alive. She could use her talent to dance before the enemy and, sometimes, it resulted in an extra ration of bread.

The extra scraps of food helped sustain her, but more importantly, so did her belief in God.

tracks to Auschwitz“God was with me in Auschwitz”

Her hope for a rescue and her belief in God kept her going and she knew in her heart that, one day, she would be freed. She was weak and injured to the point of death at times, but her life was far from over. In 1945, her hope became a reality as American soldiers arrived and rescued her. She was discovered, almost unconscious, as she lay among a mass grave of fellow prisoners.

Dr. Eger’s stories of life in Auschwitz (and the other camps she was moved to) are enough to make you shudder and be ashamed for taking anything you have in this life for granted.

You would think that Dr. Eger hated her captors, but she didn’t.

She said she pitied them.

She knew that the people who staffed those concentration camps would eventually be tried and, in some cases, executed for their war crimes. Even worse, until they died, the images of their brutality would be on their consciences forever.

Forgiveness no matter the cost

I can’t think of many examples of people who are as forgiving as Dr. Eger is.

She’s a shining example of what Jesus told us when He commanded us to love and pray for our enemies. We may not be able to change them, but we can pray for them.

Dr. Eger has become one of my heroes. This lovely woman has turned the heartbreaking memories of her past into a mission of encouragement for all of us to reach for our Savior, even in the darkest and loneliest of places.

God bless you Dr. Eger for sharing your story with the world. At age 87, you are one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever been around.

May God bring all of you peace who are reading this today.

###

Share