A Broken Spirit?

Good Morning,

Proverbs 18:14 (NKJ)
The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness,
But who can bear a broken spirit?

It seems that this verse is appropriate for our times, I think. Yesterday we read Psalm 62 and were reminded that we are to put our trust in God during these difficult and trying days we face. That, of course, is so very true. Today we are reminded that even when we DO begin to place our trust and our hopes in God, we still have the challenge of dealing with what the Bible calls a broken spirit.

(First, please!...Let's not get into the "finger pointing" and "blame game" about who or what has caused the current tribulations in our world. It doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things as to the "who" or "whom" is at "fault" in where we find ourselves. We spend entirely too much time in this negative activity. What does matter is the fact that we are where we are and we need to get beyond it! OK, enough political comments.)

Many of us find ourselves these days with somewhat broken spirits. We are there because of the many situations that have occurred in our lives that are, often, beyond our control. I'm sure that we are all cognizant of the seemingly unavoidable fact that one bad thing seems to lead to yet another...and on and on and on. When things go not so great in our lives, then we see other things doing exactly the same. This is what leads to a broken spirit that we have to fight our way out of. I would contend that the best way of dealing with the broken spirit that we read of in today's Scripture is to turn to God and to our families and to our friends and to our local congregations.

It is positive relationship, along with some other simple things, that can lift us up above a broken spirit. First and foremost is a positive relationship with God; with Jesus Christ. This is most certainly where we must begin in order to turn a broken spirit into a spirit that has begun to be repaired. Without this personal, positive relationship with God, we will have great difficulty in any other area of our lives. Next is to get into closer relationship with family. Yes, sometimes it seems almost impossible for various reasons, but unless we can get good, positive reinforcement of ourselves from those closest to us, well, it becomes even more difficult to change a broken spirit into one on the mend. Third, I would say, is to have good, positive, uplifting relationships with close and caring friends. If we find ourselves in a place where we lack these friendships, then we need to be proactive in seeking them out. Remember, as someone much smarter than me once said, "In order to have a friend, one must first be a friend." The last area that I see as extremely important is to have a good, positive relationship with whatever local congregation we attend. Now, if we are NOT attending a local church at this time, I think it's time to change that. We need to be active in our congregation, not just "attendees" who don't take part in the many activities and serve opportunities that are present in our local churches. Being actively involved brings positive relationships.

Of course there are other things we can do to lift up a broken spirit and begin to mend that spirit. I received the following list as some other areas where we can begin to heal:

1. Set aside time for vigorous physical exercise. Walk 3 miles each day -- it will help wash away anger and stimulate positive creativity. Smile while you walk -- and notice all birds, trees and children.
2. Seek out a Godly mentor. Much of the success of AA has been in having another person to call in the lowest times. Don't isolate yourself. Maintain strong family and friend relationships.
3. Reduce TV watching and instead read or listen to inspirational material at least 2 hours daily.
4. Volunteer for a worthy cause. Helping someone else in need is a great way to ease the inward pain.
5. Forgive everyone in your life. Make peace with your past. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
6. Get a job (if you've lost one recently) -- even if it's not your dream job or a great career move. Deliver pizzas or work in the garden department at Home Depot to get moving in a positive direction while you continue to build for long term success.
At the end of each day, complete these two sentences:
"Today I am thankful for......"
"Today my most significant accomplishment was......." From Mr. Dan Miller

However, no matter what things we do in order to take positive steps forward in healing a broken spirit, it still remains that the most effective ways will always be in the relationships that we have now or that we will actively seek to form. Relationships are what life is all about and positive ones will do the most to lift us above the troubles we face.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David