I’m sorry I got a little carried away with alliteration in the title. Growing up under a pastor who alliterated everything, it’s a hard habit to break! Thanks for loving me anyway….you do love me, right? RIGHT?? Okay, how ’bout like? Tolerate? Surely one of those fits…whatever you feel for me, thanks for putting up with my sporadic posting habits and my spontaneous alliteration…oh boy…there it goes again. No more! I promise………………..maybe. 😉

We recently had our fall ladies fellowship at church, and I just wanted to share some of the fun. Our theme was “Falling to Pieces”. I have been dealing with an ongoing battle with depression the last few months. It has not been the serious clinical kind, but the day-to-day, regular kind. If there is a “regular” kind! Rather than consult everyone I know about my problems, and get a different opinion with each person, I decided to just bypass the middle man and go straight to my Heavenly Father. I have delved into Scripture regarding my depression, and obvious mood swings, and I have not been disappointed! The Lord has been so good to me! I haven’t been able to eliminate all my mood swings, but I have reduced them greatly. I’ve also learned how to manage those days when sadness, loneliness and grief wash over me…sometimes for no apparent reason!

With that said, I thought I would share my study on depression with our ladies this past Saturday evening. I am not a gifted speaker or a Bible scholar. I simply shared what God is doing for me. Even though we talked about “falling to pieces” and depression, I did not want it to be a depressing evening! We played a quick game and then had lots and lots of laughs and, of course, FOOD!

Here are some of the highlights:

I made these apple candles to line the table with, along with falling leaves. The ladies really loved my candles. That was very encouraging because I am not a very good decorator!

One lady brought this homemade apple pie…can you see the detail on that? We all hated to eat it…but being the martyrs that we are, we managed to do it!

We had a good number come out. Three ladies that had signed up were unable to come for different reasons. We did have one visitor though, so that was nice!

I was a nervous wreck most of the evening. I am younger than most of the ladies in our church, and I often let this intimidate me. It is then that the Lord reminds me that I am serving Him, therefore, He will help me and just why am I looking around at people anyway? He brings Peter to mind. I think about how he looked around and started sinking. He reminds me of Proverbs 29:25: The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe. I then breath a sigh of relief and am comforted once my mind rests upon Him.

I am very thankful for my nervous, high-strung nature…it helps me keep calling upon Him for help in this important job of reaching souls for Him. I hope and pray that the ladies received a blessing. The point that I so poorly expressed was that whatever emotional issues we face in life, the Lord is there and ready to help us through those times. We need only to call upon him.

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

I thank the Lord for his very present help!