"Crazy"

Sometimes I think I’m crazy,

For thinking like I do,

The pain of loss gets to me,

And regret still plagues me, too.

Moments that feel hopeless,

Despair as black as night,

A perpetual outsider,

Though I know it isn’t right,

To let those old dark feelings,

Have their way with me,

Encouraged to seek Jesus,

And find some peace, you see.

No one can undo it,

Our history is done,

But grace will see us through it,

So that the joy and fun,

Of God’s abundant living,

Is something we can know,

And He is still forgiving,

And always there to show,

That we are His no matter,

The emotions that we feel,

His presence with us stronger,

And His Holy Spirit real.

And He says I’m not crazy,

That everyone who tries,

Will have to, on some level,

Deal with the devil’s lies.

I know that I’m a sinner,

Saved by God’s free grace,

And though I’ve often failed Him,

I’ll one day see His face.

“He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and the mire…” (Psalm 40:2, NIV)

People get bogged down in the mud of life. John Bunyan, in his allegorical story of the Christian life, describes a “slough of despond.” He depicts it as a pre-salvation experience, but all of us who have followed Christ know that we as believers have to deal with times of discouragement and despair. What makes you feel crazy? What steals your joy and tempts you to give up? Remember, you are not alone in how you feel. Some of the strongest saints had the “black night of the soul” in which they became unsure of everything they knew was true. God is with us. He will never forsake us. We are made secure by Him, no matter how we feel. The presence of the Holy Spirit with and within us is stronger than any emotion, and our victory is bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus. Look up. He will lift you from the mud.

Lord, lift us out of our despair and discouragement, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mark Maggiori, markmaggiori.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Mark, and God bless you.