Crappy Situation

By Elaine James –

My Auntie looked down at her folded hands in her lap and got very quiet. I was at the nursing home. It was a recurring moment of disappointment. None of her three daughters had shown up for a visit.

She broke the silence with tears streaming down her cheeks. “They should be here. I’m lucky if one of them comes once a month. Am I being punished? Maybe I did something wrong. What if they never come again?”

The nurse came in to administer her depression medication. In the last year, she had been hospitalized several times and was put in a closed psychiatric ward for severe depression.

On this day, I had come prepared to give my Auntie a loving message. She said “Life is meaningless. I feel empty inside.”

I explained what it meant to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. “Auntie, people will let you down but Christ never will. Your constant battle with sadness is not helping you get better. Are you willing to give this crappy situation to God?” I paused. She seemed to be listening, so I continued. “I know it stinks, but you can commit your life to Christ and allow Him to help you. His loving arms extended wide open on the cross. Jesus’ death was a free gift that paid the penalty for your sins. It opened the door to eternal life.”

She admitted “It never was explained that simple before.” She prayed and asked God to forgive her sins and admitted she needed a Savior. We prayed for her daughters and asked God to help her with her depression.

I dedicated some time daily for a 2-3 minute phone call where we did devotions together. Then I tapered down to every other day and eventually, once per week. Within a month of praying that prayer, two Christian women from the neighborhood started visiting my Auntie on a regular basis. They had much in common and enjoyed each other’s company. Together they read the word and prayed.

When we face such situations, clenching our fists and demanding life be fair is not the solution. It is a continuing punishment that leads to depression. But when we open our hands up to God, inviting Him into our situation, it leads to unimaginable resolutions.

“God looked and saw evil looming on the horizon— so much evil and no sign of Justice. He couldn’t believe what he saw: not a soul around to correct this awful situation. So he did it himself, took on the work of Salvation, fueled by his own Righteousness” (Isaiah 59:15 MSG).