As I observe people in psychiatric help locations or, for that matter, everywhere, even in church, I see a lot of “hands that hang down”.

It may be OK for the world to walk around with faces and bodies screaming, “poor me!” but I don’t feel that it pleases the Lord or reflects well on our heavenly husband. I also think that it feeds the misery.  Some recent research had people, with “sourpuss” faces, put a pencil between their lips, so that they could not frown. Their depression went down!

Now I don’t think that the Lord expects me to “just snap out of my misery” He knows that no chastening is pleasant: but I  keep my eye on the benefit it will produce. When I lose a special person, I do grieve: but not like the heathen for I have HOPE.

Hebrews 12: 1 Wherefore seeing I also am compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let me lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset, and let me run with patience the race that is set before me,
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For I need to consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest I be wearied and faint in my mind.
I have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
And I have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto me as unto a child, “My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. (Boy am I loved and received!) If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?”
But if I were without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then I’d be a bastard, and not a son.
Furthermore I had a father who corrected me, and I gave him reverence: shall I not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
For they verily for a few days he chastened me after his own pleasure; but my heavenly father chastened me for my profit, that I might be partaker of his holiness.
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto me when I am exercised thereby.
Wherefore I need to LIFT UP MY HANGING DOWN HANDS and MAKE STRAIGHT PATHS for my feeble knees. Get up, make my bed, take a shower, comb my hair,  eat healthy, reach out to others for help and to minister, look people in the eye , lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

What do I expect to gain from droopy face, shuffled feet, deep sighs, mumbled responses? Do I want to be let out of current responsibility, get others to do my part, cause God to owe me one? Seems the only reasonable result will be to say to the dominant “habit” part of our brain; “let me wallow, see how miserable I am” I can’t tell my “habit” brain to fight back against life’s problems if my arms and legs “hang down”

I’ve read that 80% of speech is done with my body parts and not with my mouth. “See”, I say with my posture, ” I am a Christian and what a miserable thing that is!”

The antidote? Look to the passage above and:

1.If I have lost loved ones I remember that friends and family are already with the Lord. Remember that their warfare is over and mine will be soon. I remember that being a fellow sufferer with the Lord is a great privilege. Imagine if I’d been asked to carry his cross, would I have whined about how heavy it was and how it scraped my shoulders? Well, he does ask me to take up the cross daily but when I give this sacrifice, I need to wash the face and put on clean clothes and don’t let everyone know how hard it is by a strained face or by a sagging my body. If I suffer for righteousness sake, how happy is that? If I deserve chastening and get it then I am a legitimate child and not a bastard. Focus on SIN and not on comfort, affirmation, power, function etc. If there is no sin then how light my spirit should be for it is sin that weighs me down, not suffering. Either the sin that brought on the chastening or the sin of moaning and groaning about the cost of discipleship.

I wish us all erect backs, lifted feet, looking others in the eye, put on clean clothes, smiles,while we appreciate what we DO have, what we CAN do, and who IS in our lives.