“Now hear my prayer;
listen to my cry.
For my life is full of troubles,
and death draws near.
I am as good as dead,
like a strong man with no strength left.”
Psalm 88:2-4
Not really ‘positive’ is it? Life can be monotonous and difficult, especially for those dealing with significant mental and physical challenges. It’s relentless, a constant struggle.
We experience depression, confusion, paranoia, and frustration that come and go pretty much at will. Sometimes it feels like these feelings have become an integral part of us, and it almost seems these awful things have settled in for good.
There can be a terrible hopelessness in living like this.
An ugly realization that there is no hope for today, and that tomorrow will not be any different. Some consider ending it all–rather than continue without hope. It is a terrible way to live, and hopelessness isn’t something people can handle well.
Contained in the scriptures are many stories and parables about wedding feasts and the king’s banquets. On one occasion, somebody ‘finagles’ his way into the party. It seems ok at first but suddenly it all goes south for him and he is strongly confronted.
He simply did not belong there.
The bouncers bind his hands and feet, carry him out. He is thrown out into the “outer darkness.” What prompted this was his attire, it was all wrong. He simply wasn’t dressed for the wedding.
“But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Matthew 22:11-14
Many have given in to their despair, they now reside in “the outer darkness.” They are no longer dressed for the banquet. They’ve stripped themselves of their wedding garments. How tragic. They have given up and tried to walk away.
I’ll be the first to admit that mental illness and discipleship don’t always blend well together.
But the Father understands and increases his deposit of grace to make up for this deficiency. He doesn’t treat his beloved sons equally. Extra grace is given to the chronically ill. God’s grace comes to the hurting. And it truly meets the struggler who needs an extra portion to survive.
You must wear His kindness and grace. It’s now time. The Wedding starts soon.
God has created us for a wedding feast for believers. And it is with confidence that we look forward to this feast, for in Christ we will not be found naked but clothed in the white garments of His righteousness. He takes our dirty and muddy clothes and exchanges them for his own beautiful white ones.
We wear his “clothes,” and oh my what a wonder we are!
“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,”
Isaiah 61:10, NLT
Broken Believers 