There are times in our lives when circumstances bring us to a crisis point. During those times, our emotions rule us, our strength fails us, and our minds deceive us. All that we normally rely on everyday disappears and we find ourselves in a crisis mode of feelings, thoughts and decisions. And we are never “ready” for it. In a twinkling, the rug is pulled out underneath us. Sometimes the crisis is very large, maybe a death in the family or a unexpected serious illness; a home engulfed in flames or the loss of income. Most often, the crisis is not so large or maybe it is a combination of crisis’ that still consume us…. the disappearance of a pet, the complete engine failure on your only car, or the loss of a friendship. Whether it comes in a large dose or small, it can send you into a downward, negative spiral.
I recently experienced such a crisis (thankfully a small one) and was surprised to take such a spiral in my thoughts and emotions. As I find sometimes occurs to me, I woke up in the middle of the night, unable to fall asleep again and my mind a flurry of disturbing pictures and thoughts, my emotions on the edge of uncontrolled weeping. I was reminded in a single moment of why I am so glad to be a Christian. In the middle of the darkness, I heard two words…..”dig deep”.
Now I am not totally unaccustomed to hearing God’s voice and recognized Him immediately but didn’t really understand what “dig deep” meant. As I pondered and searched over this new thought, God spoke to me about having roots deep enough to hold during whatever storm I was in. His encouragement to me was to hold fast, to rely on the truth that He has put in me through His word and to trust that those roots are deep enough to hold on. Indeed, I was encouraged and took my eyes off the situation at hand and put them on the answer to the situation…God Himself.
Thankfully, the crisis has passed and I am feeling more in balance and thinking more logically. But it would be my mistake to let the lesson I was taught to pass by unnoticed. I need to continue to dig deeper, to nurture what roots God has planted in me that will allow God to keep my foundation strong no matter what the future brings. My encouragement to you is to do the same because sometimes you have to ”dig deep”.