Tempest Tossed

Once again, I am in awe over the love of my Father in Heaven.  I've talked in previous posts about my struggle with depression and how scripture reading and other life changes have helped to bring me out of it.  There are times, though, that things will happen and I feel as if I'm in a downward spiral back to that place that I used to be.  Sometimes it's an event that triggers it or a conversation or an unexpected financial difficulty or worries about choices my kids are making.  I never know what it will be, but it happens.  And I get scared.  I don't want to be there again.  I don't want to feel that way or treat others the way I did when I was in that dark place.

These past four or five days, perhaps combined with everything surrounding my grandmother's funeral, have put me again on the edge of that black hole.  It's really hard to explain to someone who has never been there before.  It's like my body and my mind begin to go numb.  I find myself becoming almost emotionless.  I can't deal with simple, every day tasks.  I don't want to do anything but sit or sleep.  I've been praying a lot this weekend that I can pull myself out before I get down too far.  I don't want to be there ever, ever again.

©Darrell Wyatt

I'm so grateful that my scripture reading has become such habit that even when I'm feeling down, I still pick up my scriptures and read.

For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.

O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted!  Behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.

And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.

And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.

(3 Nephi 22:10-13)

I felt immediate comfort.  He really does know me.  He knows what I need.  He is always there for me.  When I am afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, He knows the words to comfort me.  When I am worried about my kids, He says to me that they will have great peace.  I am so blessed.  I will still  have storms and tempests in my life.  He does not always remove them from me, but He calms the waves enough that I can swim back to the peaceful shore.  Oh how I love Him and am grateful for the knowledge that He will always love me.

Click here to read what I read today: 3 Nephi 21

Click here to read what I read today: 3 Nephi 22