Have you ever experienced despair, a feeling of utter hopelessness? Depression is a natural companion to despair, and most of us have felt it one or more times in our lives.  I’ve felt depressed before, but I’m not sure that it reached a point of despair.

Sometimes specific circumstances can trigger depression and despair, but there are other times when it just comes over you, and you don’t know why? Oddly enough, many people, including celebrities, can sink to despair, when they have absolutely no problems with security (job, food, home, etc) or pleasure (clothes, jewelry, cars, etc.).

What does our spirit need to deliver us from this valley of fear and doubt? The Apostle Paul writes that his trust in God’s power and the fact that Jesus lives in his heart keeps him from falling into despair.  (2 Corinthians 4:7)  But plenty of Christians are on anti-depressants, or are receiving counseling for depression.  Where is their victory in Christ?  Why doesn’t joy come in the morning?  (Psalm 30:5)

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I don’t mean, Does God inflict pain on anyone?  I mean, Does God feel pain?  My Sunday school class was discussing it the other day, and the teacher commented that when we sin as believers, it hurts God.  It got me to thinking.  The Biblical writers are free to project onto the Almighty human characteristics, like love, anger, hurt, and compassion.  They always leave out fear.  But, seriously, who or what could God be afraid of?

Biblical scholars, preachers, teachers and lay leaders all say that God can feel these emotions because we are made in His image.  But don’t we feel those things simply because we’re human?  I can see God loving us, even having compassion.  But can He really be hurt?  If you are hurt, it is usually because someone has exercised unwanted control over you, by word or deed.  Who could exercise such control over God?

And what about God’s wrath, or anger?  Is it a controlled anger?  Is He frustrated because He gave us freewill?  Can He get mad, since He is the one who has created us and knows ahead of time what we are going to do?

Jesus wept.  (John 11:35)  The shortest verse in the Bible.  Why did He weep? Was it His human side that identified with how death affects humans?  And what about His anguish in the garden before His own death?  Do we identify with Father and Son better if they display human characteristics?

I want a God who will never have the opportunity to “lose it” because of anger or grief.  He is my Rock and my Fortress.  Rocks and fortresses don’t cry.

How much do we really know about God?

It’s all about how you get along with others.  Is your wife getting on your nerves?  Is your husband SO not the same man that you married?  Are the kids out of control?  How about the neighbors?

Unless you’re a hermit, completely cut off from society, then you rarely go through a day without encountering at least one other human being.  You will interact with this person by your words, looks, body language, touch or even silence.  They will receive that communication, process it (often quickly) and generate a response.  Then it’s your turn.  Then theirs.  And so it goes.  Hundreds, if not thousands, of these events will occur in a single day.

Most of the time we will go through them without giving them a second thought.  Sometimes they evoke a feeling of love, joy or sympathy.  At other times tension will prevail due to anger or hurt.  This is the makeup of life.  It’s a major part of what separates us from the animals.  Do you ever give thought to how someone is perceiving you?  Have you ever changed your approach?  If so, why?

The Bible tells us to care for others more than ourselves (Philippians 2:3).  How do you do that?  Aren’t we put here to correct others?  What if we’re not appreciated for what we do?  Jesus was a great example of caring for others, but he was perfect.  Can we be expected to do the same?

With our technological advances in communication we are able to witness even greater misery throughout our world.  We can pipe into our homes graphic images of man’s inhumanity to man.  It makes us feel helpless.  Wouldn’t it be better to not know about it?

Maybe the answer is to not be overwhelmed at the big picture.  Jesus said that we have enough to be concerned about in our immediate environment (Matthew 6:34).  Is that good enough?  Or is it just a start?

If you think about it, it will drive you nuts.  More people get into trouble by assuming incorrectly what another person is thinking, whether it be about their appearance, their position on a given subject or about their character in general.

The brain is an amazing control room that regulates every aspect of our body, including maintenance of itself.  But beyond the around-the-clock internal life support system, the brain processes thoughts associated with innumerable intake sources involving smell, taste, touch, sight and sound.  Most of these generate pleasant or unpleasant responses, and many are used to protect the body as well as to nourish it.

A great part of our brain activity, however, is centered on interpreting communication using sight and sound.  Reading something causes us to judge it for accuracy or fairness, or even to compare it to our own life experiences.  Seeing things, be it real life or reproduced life, evokes similar responses.  Touch is added for emphasis, whether it be intimate, directive or hostile.

Basic human nature is that, upon meeting someone, we assess who they are and how we feel about them.  This relationship can progress either personally or as additional information is fed to us about the person or group.  As we get to know someone, we begin to build an expectation of how that person will react to what we say and do.  This is not a bad thing, necessarily, but can eventually cause a relationship to become stale or to deteriorate.

The greatest danger in communication is to presuppose what a person is thinking or how he/she will react.  And most of us do it.  Communication begins to breakdown when either party is offended about being second-guessed.

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I can’t keep them.

Wow, that was easy!  Now, what do I do with the rest of the article?

It’s true; I can’t keep them.  I never could figure out resolutions anyway.  If you could keep them, you wouldn’t need them.  Your self-discipline would help you to order your life and ensure that you do the right things daily.

Resolutions are really promises that you hope to keep.  Promises, however, can be difficult if circumstances change.  I promise that I will love and honor you forever. Then she (or he) gets fat, or worse, begins to treat you horribly. They don’t understand you, but, strangely enough, the co-worker does.  And he (or she) smells better, or looks better, and you can imagine what life would be like with them.

The Bible puts heavy duty responsibility on promises, especially promises to God.  Failing to keep your promise to God brings a curse.  Bad things will happen to you.  So, just don’t promise, right?  But then you might be accused of being apathetic.

A resolution usually involves a life-changing decision, like losing weight, don’t bite your nails, don’t waste so much time playing computer games or watching TV.  The list is endless.

New Years resolutions fail for two reasons.

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Everyone works for someone, reports to someone, is controlled by someone or is responsible to someone.  It starts at birth.  Our parents or guardians have complete authority over what happens to us 24/7; our free will consists of peeing, pooping and crying.

As we grow, more authority figures are added:  teachers, bus drivers, policemen, etc..  Then the workplace brings forth supervisors, task leaders, bosses, their bosses, division bosses, corporate bosses and the CEO.  Even in small businesses and partnerships someone has to assume the management role.

I used to write that God was at the top of the food chain.  Even a hermit in a secluded location in the dense forest, who planted his own garden and burned candles, would still have to answer to God in the final analysis.  I credit my upbringing and somewhat skewed Bible teaching as forming my view of “God’s justice,” he being the BIG BOSS.

The Old Testament paints a picture of a people who trembled at the thought that God might be near.  They begged their current prophet to speak on their behalf, for fear that the Almighty would smite them dead.  In the New Testament, however, Jesus shows us a very different God, one who is loving and caring, yet was not pleased with those that troubled or hurt their family and neighbors around them.

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Doesn’t everyone want to be loved?

I think everyone does, but not everyone realizes it.  A lot of people don’t even understand what true love is. Love makes the world go ’round, but hate makes the world go ’round wobbily. Love is the fodder for countless songs of passion, vainly pledging fidelity to the current object of affection.

The Greeks had five different words for love, three of which are normally found in Christian teaching:

Eros (sensual love – root word for erotic)

Philia (friendship — like Philidelphia)

Agape (self-sacrificing love)

Truth be known, Agape is not exclusive to Christianity.  In the Greek it could mean being content with a good meal.

The two lesser-known words are

Storge (affection – “I love my children”)

Thelema (desire to achieve – “I’d love to get promoted”)

While the word “love” is used to address each of these concepts, in fact, we need all of them to make the world go ’round.  Daily doses of love leave no room for hate.  Our prudish position on sexual intimacy refuses to allow that same passion to be the driving force for our exciting, sometimes grueling, journey, yet we freely use the word passionate to describe our various loves for things.

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You’ve seen them. The colorful designs and snappy titles on the inspirational book rack as you move through the store. The offer of blessings and help with every area of your life. Specific formulas on how to manipulate the Kingdom of Heaven to give you maximum benefit.

I like to browse, but I didn’t have the time to check this one out. The title, however, set off some rapid-fire questions in my mind. Why would we put a time restriction on God? The title itself was an imperative, demanding something from the Almighty. (Perhaps adding the word “please” would have given it a touch of humility.) Do we really need a formula for praying?

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I Kings 8:20

The Lord has kept the promise he made.

Promises are firm statements that something will happen as the promiser intended.  They’re generally positive in nature because the receiver of the promise needs assurance that things will be okay.  Some promises are negative, as in a vow to seek revenge or to inflict harm.  While it’s probably a good thing if negative promises aren’t fulfilled, the good promise is binding in that someone is counting on you to keep your word.

The Bible records a number of promise exchanges between God and his people.  God always keeps his promises —

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If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

James 1:5

Sounds too easy. And too good to be true. But I believe it with all my heart. God has given us everything we need to sustain life — all without us asking for it. Wisdom, on the other hand, requires a genuine relationship with him.

How do you know when you lack wisdom?

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