I heard on the news recently about a study that revealed that women remember emotionally-charged situations more than men. Amused, I said to myself, “So what’s new?” But the study also suggested that this may explain why women may be more prone to depression than men.

What is it that gets you down? Routinely for me, it is fatigue. When I am too tired to do some of the most simple tasks, because I plan more than I can do, I can get a bit stressed. I realize that this is such a minor thing, compared to so many things one has to face in this life. This is not to say there have not been or are no truly stressful situations in my life.

Our daughter was just three years old when she had surgery to remove a thyroid tumor. Thankfully, it was benign. Our youngest son suffered a severe head injury shortly after he began fulltime preaching. These, and others, were trying times. But again we were blessed. Our daughter is the healthy mother of four, and our son is still preaching.

What is it for you? It may be stress over unemployment, unpaid bills, deadlines, overwhelming work loads, unruly children, conflict with your mate, or something someone said (or you thought was said) to you or about you. Or maybe it is the lack of time you have to spend with a spouse or friend. Perhaps you agonize over the wrong choices that others make. Then again, it could be serious physical suffering, your own, or that of a loved one. Perhaps you have experienced the loss of someone very dear to you. The truth is, there will always be something that can, and often does, cause us to feel sad or lonely, helpless, or even hopeless. Did you know that our Lord experienced some sad times, too?

You may remember the incident of the feeding of the five thousand (Jn. 6). After Jesus had fed the people, they kept following him for more bread (Jn. 6:24). And why wouldn’t those impoverished hungry people seek food? Yet the Everlasting Father (Isa. 9:6) told them that they ought to labor for the food which does not perish (Jn. 6:27). Their real need was to feast upon his flesh and drink his blood.

With this they stopped following him (Jn. 6:49-56). The spiritually shallow may have misunderstood the figurative language; others no doubt recognized the impact of the message of Christ about accepting and obeying him as Lord of their lives. Then these haunting words came from the heart of Jesus as he spoke to his disciples, “You won’t go away too, will you?” Dear Peter said the words the Lord needed to hear, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (Jn. 6:68).

Jesus Christ experienced temptation, grief, hunger, fear, pain and loneliness. As the Son of God, he understood more than any other man how devastating the consequences of sin have been upon the human family. No wonder he is described as a high priest who understands our infirmities (Heb. 4:14).

What was it that kept Jesus going? What caused him to willingly put himself through pain and suffering? Two things in particular come to mind. His love for his Father motivated him to be obedient (Heb. 5:8). Adjunct to that was his unfathomable love for the lost – you and me. The joy of providing a way for us to be saved caused him to choose to endure all those horrid things (Heb. 12:2). When we are fully committed to God, loving him and having a spiritual perspective on life, and when we see the joy of being saved and teaching the lost, we too can keep on keeping on (Heb. 12:3; Phil. 3:14).

We are going to have problems; this is our lot as fallen human beings. We can allow our challenges to grind us down, making us unproductive in the kingdom of Christ. Or like Job, we can allow ourselves to be schooled in matters of a heavenly nature (Job 42:1-6). We can learn to cope scripturally with whatever comes – if we prepare by loving God and abiding in him. We can possess that anchored hope (Heb. 6:17-19), and convicted faith (Heb.11:1-2). We can be as confident as the apostle Paul when he said, “...for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him until that day” (2 Tim. 1:12).

In our Sunday morning Bible class, we are being taught from the book of Ephesians. These have been such meaningful lessons. The love of God, the unsearchable riches of his grace, have been so highlighted. The prayer of the apostle Paul (Ephesians 3:14ff) was based upon the very depth, breadth, and height of the love of Christ. Because of that love, and what it accomplished, Paul was compelled to pray for the strength of his brethren. We can endure and be spiritually strong, if we know the love of Christ and what his will for us is. Let us search the Scriptures for knowledge of that love. When we are so loved (Jn. 3:16, 1 Jn. 3:16), how can fail to seek an understanding of how to obey him? When we are so loved, how can we be flippant about our obedience – once we understand?

Jesus taught that we need to eat his flesh and drink his blood. This is not specifically the Lord’s supper. According to the Greek text it involves a continuous, habitual feeding and drinking. The continuous life-giving Source must so saturate our lives that we can say with Paul, “for me to live is Christ” (see Guy N. Woods, A Commentary on the Gospel According To John, pp. 127-135; A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures In The New Testament, Vol. V, pp 110-112). When we abide in Christ, accepting his will and committing ourselves to him, we are spiritually nourished so that we may live more abundantly in this life and in eternity. Wayne Jackson comments on this topic: “When serving the Lord becomes the obsession of your life, distracting competitors are crowded out, and one will be the happier for it” (The Bible and Mental Health, p. 21)

With God’s love in view, no wonder Paul instructed, “Be anxious in nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7).

“Meditate on these things” (4:8).

Recommended reading

The Bible and Mental Health, Wayne Jackson, Courier Publications, 7809 N. Pershing Ave. Stockton CA 95207

The Book of Job, Wayne Jackson, Courier Publications

Help and Healing For People Who Hurt, Thomas Holland, Penman Publications, P.O. Box 611, Brentwood, TN 37024.

Let This Cup Pass, Jane McWhorter, Quality Publications, PO Box 7385, Fort Worth, TX 76111.