The Self-Pity Trap

 

By Andrea Merrell

He lifted me out of the pit of despair.

Psalm 40:2 NLT

When I first met the young woman, I soon found her to be full of self-pity—which Sarah Young calls, “a slimy, bottomless pit” that quickly leads to depression.

Coming from a dysfunctional home filled with anger, addiction, and abuse, she could not get past the events that had stolen her sense of well-being. Even after escaping what she called “her prison,” she walked around in darkness and despair. She felt hopeless and confided that she just wanted to escape. To end her life.

Her progress came about slowly, but surrounded by believers who cared about her, she began to climb out of that pit. When she took her eyes off her past and put them on the Lord, He opened up her future and restored her hope.

Her transformation was a beautiful thing to behold. A few months later, she could proudly say, along with David:

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,

and He turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the pit of despair,

 out of the mud and the mire.

He set my feet on solid ground

 and steadied me as I walked along.

He has given me a new song to sing,

 a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see what He has done and be amazed.

They will put their trust in the Lord.

(Psalm 40:1-3 NLT)

If you’re battling with depression, stop looking behind and within. Look up. Set your focus—your mind, your heart, and your eyes—on the Lord. He is waiting to take you by the hand and pull you out of the darkness into His glorious light.

 

 Photo courtesy of Unsplash.com and Fa Barboza.