Tested by life, Saved by Grace!

Tested By Life, Saved By Grace!
She was easily noticed in the female ward because of the hue of her skin. She has the skin color that is described as ‘obobo’ or ‘albino’ in my own part of the world. She was a very quiet lady, probably in her early thirties and had a protruding stomach that gave her a blotted look.
These made her to be easily recognized… but what drew my attention to her was the fact that she never smiled, always kept to herself and hardly ever spoke to anyone, even when her husband visited her, she wasn’t enthusiastic. I was also admitted in the same hospital and was recovering from a relapse, I had spent close to three weeks in the same ward with her, each time I greeted her, she hardly responded. So I became curious.
Eventually, I got to understand her pain when I heard her story. She had been pregnant and on the day of delivery, she was the only one in the house, lying on the chair in the sitting room. As she made an effort to stand, the baby slipped in between her legs to the floor, bringing an end to his life and depression for this lady. Yes, I know, it’s so sad! I now have a better understanding of the anxiety and depression she felt then, having been pregnant twice and being confined for three months before delivery in the latter pregnancy.
Proverbs 12:25 (NKJV) puts it this way;
“Anxiety in the heart of a man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.”
Life had tested her but she had been saved by grace. Her hope was deferred, and her heart was exposed to depression. The thing about depression is that it starts from the heart.
 The heart could also be your mind. No wonder, we are advised in the scriptures to guard our heart with all diligence, because out of the heart comes the issues of life. This also implies that as sweet and exhilarating life can be, it also has its own issues for different individuals.
The truth is that if you check it, the issues I am dealing with now are totally different from those you may be dealing with. It is not a nice thing to make light of what people around you may be dealing with. If you do not understand it, pray for them. Don’t run them down with hurtful words and add to their depression. Pastor Bimpo Odukoya of blessed memory, in a message titled, ‘Beauty and the beast’ once said, ‘stop wounding the injured’. That message has meant a lot to me over the years.
Life’s test could hurt so bad that some people actually contemplate ending their lives. Some are so wounded they feel they can never recover; others fail the test so badly that, they don’t want to show up in the examination hall of the school of life anymore!
Pause and think, why did Paul, in Romans 8:37 say;
“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
It’s because the test of life has been and will be. It is your attitude and preparation for it that will determine what you will do when the test shows up unexpectedly. What is your altitude to the test of life?
If the test that life is handing over to you now is creating constant anxiety in you and leading you into depression, please by all means seek medical attention.
Anxiety and Depression Association of America, affirms that,
“It is not uncommon for someone with an anxiety disorder to also suffer from depression or vice versa. Nearly one-half of those diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. The good news is that these disorders are both treatable, separately and together.”
Beyond that, know that you can come to Jesus just as you are, with all that burden you are carrying and He will give you rest. Rest from your efforts, rest from the severity of the test. Rest, that leads to restoration. Exchange your burdens for Christ’s rest. Remember, no matter how much test life hands you, there is a saving grace in the rest that Jesus offers us daily.

My name is Precious, I was bipolar, and I live a full life.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, I come to you just as I am with all my baggage, I accept your yoke because it is easy and I enter into Your rest because you have invited me, be my Lord and Savior, save me by your grace.

Reference
Matthew 11:28-30, Romans 8:37, Psalm 116:7, Proverbs 13: 12, Proverbs 12:25, Proverbs 4:23
(All scriptures used are from the New King James Version)
Pastor Bimbo Odukoya of Blessed Mermory.
It was on my brother’s blackberry display message I came across this phrase ‘tested by life…saved by grace’.  And he said to me, ‘my whole life has been a story of grace’. – La Saint- www.freedsaint.wordpress.com

You can send your comments to idaretoblossom@gmail.com

2 thoughts on “Tested by life, Saved by Grace!”

  1. Ejiro says:

    this post was really helpful… you are doing a great job of lifting people out of depression. thank you very much

  2. Precious Ben says:

    Thank you Ejiro for your feedback. This 'great job' can't be done by any mortal, its purely the work of God, so let all the accolades be to Him. We all need each other to lift ourselves out of depression. I am glad this write up was helpful to you. Feel free to talk to me through, idaretoblossom@gmail.com, if you feel like talking with someone about depression.

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