The Philosophy of the Fridge

From this week's church bulletin:

[The pastor started by sharing about his family's collection of inspirational and sometimes funny fridge magnets and what they stand for. He then goes on to write...]

Another place where inspiration sometimes takes place is on blackboards outside coffee shops and restaurants. I saw a fascinating sign last week at such a place. It read, "Life can sometimes be the dark room where our negative emotions are developed."

The more I thought about it, the more I become aware of how true it is. Our lives sometimes take a shape and feeling that we do not necessarily plan or desire. Circumstances confront us and immediately impact on our spirit and mood. How do you respond? Are you inclined to be able to bounce across the top of life's experiences or do you rather feel them more deeply and sometimes experience a tsunami of emotion which envelopes you and sweeps your equilibrium away?

Negative emotions can help us to come to terms with the reality that confronts us, but they can also be destructive and damaging to our emotional health. Depression is more reported than ever these days. The dark room where negative emotions are developed is often entered by us all. We need to be honest about this. We need to allow our negative emotions access to the light of God's love. We need to expose our lives to redemption, forgiveness and care.

The Bible presents to us stories of people dealing with the dark room. Jesus himself had moments when his life was in the balance and he was alone and deep in thought and prayer. He wanted his disciples to stay awake and pray, but they failed him and he went to God alone. His struggle and despair was real.

David hit the wall too and had times of significant darkness, though he was responsible for much of his own struggle. He was fearful of losing the presence of God. He was in the dark room and his negative emotions were exposing a picture that depressed his spirit significantly.

Depression is not sin. It's a sign of deep trouble in life. It is not something over which people should be ashamed. But it is a condition in which people should be assured. Life can go sour on us and we can find ourselves struggling to lift our heads off the pillow. Friends, if you find yourself in this predicament, don't deal with it on your own. Get help, talk about it and let your life develop into the beautiful picture it is intended to be.