Yesterday I was writing a paper on apostasy, which is falling away from the faith, choosing to turn away from Jesus. My research showed that apostasy usually occurs during a trial or hard time in someone’s life. My paper was supposed to show what steps to take to ensure that this isn’t a choice that I will make. As I was researching, one of the steps that I came across was to “remember our formal self”. For some reason, that took me by surprise. I was expecting “read the Bible” and “pray” and “stay in contact with other believers”. But this one was odd. Unexpected. I shook the feeling aside and finished my paper.
Yesterday was kind of a hard day for me spiritually. I just wasn’t in a very good mood. My self-esteem was low, I was pessimistic, and I was anxious. But days like this come every once in awhile. I knew the feeling would go away soon enough. They always did.
That night, I was out to eat with some friends. They asked me to share my testimony, my life with Jesus. As I shared, I felt my self-esteem lift, my pessimism fade, and my anxiety calm as I told my story of restoration and renewal. Just remembering how dead, confused, alone, and hurt I was, and how Jesus lifted me out of that completely turned my mood around.
Then I remembered my paper. I don’t know how it works, but it does. Remembering what God has done in us, how He has healed us, how He has changed us, is the ultimate mood-lifter, Satan-rebuker, and apostasy-preventer.
When we remember what He has done, humility removes everything else until the only mood left is gratefulness.
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