Deflated

 Have you ever seen an inflated balloon deflate. All the air goes out of the balloon, and it falls shapelessly to the ground. That is how we feel sometimes when we get unexpected bad news. It is like a pin prick that lets all the air out of our faith and hope. We start falling and continue to deflate until we have nothing left. 

This is how people feel when they learn they or a loved one has cancer. Likewise, when people are served divorce papers. It happens when someone dies unexpectedly. It can happen on the job when you learn you got passed up for a promotion or the company is downsizing, and you no longer have employment. 

These kinds of things happen to all people. Setbacks. Tests. Trials. Challenges. Many of which we have absolutely no control over. So the real issue today is not how to avoid deflating circumstances. We can't. The real issue is how do we get through them. How do we inflate our deflated faith? 

I'd like to offer several strategies to help when you feel deflated by life. None of them are new or all that insightful. They are reminders of things that we probably learned a long time ago. These are just refreshers that we might have forgotten or neglected. 

1.  Take the long view. [Heb 12:1] Life is more like a marathon than a sprint. More like the steeple chase event in track or the hurdles. There are obstacles that must be overcome. In our shortsightedness we are tempted to believe God failed us. We lose hope and faith that God will come through. The long view is that God is faithful. That is His nature. He cannot be anything other than faithful. He has been faithful from the beginning. He is still faithful. He will be faithful to the end. That is who He is. Take a step back, browse the pages of your Bible, consider those faithful followers of Jesus you know. Has God been faithful to them. Consider your past journey. Has God been dependable for you in the past? Does it not stand to reason that He will show Himself trustworthy in your deflated circumstances? Take the long view. Endure. Persevere. Persist in prayer. Press on. Trudge ahead. 

2.  Cling to God's Promises. [Ps 27:13-14] Decades ago Brenda and I were in a tight spot. It seemed everything was going wrong except our marriage and young sons. My mother died at only 54. Our church was dwindling. I had already taken several cuts in pay. Nothing I prayed or planned turned the church around. Financial pressures were squeezing us. We just had our second son, Tanner to add to the pressures. It was in the middle of all those circumstances that God met me in the pages of the Bible at the above-mentioned Psalm. He has met me at that same Psalm repeatedly over the years. I have believed, prayed, and stood on that Psalm in some very deflating times. Find a verse that comforts you and inflates your faith. Cling to it daily and in those long night stretches when sleep evades you. Meditate on it. Memorize it. Most of all believe it. God's promises inflate deflated faith. 

3. Refresh. [Psalm 23:1-3] In stressful deflating time we need to refresh. God made David lie down in green pastures. He led him beside still waters. He restored his soul. In deflating times we do not always slow down to refresh. To take a casual stroll outside. Not a power walk. A stroll with God. To pray, listen, and exhale the pressures of life while inhaling God's restorative presence. There is nothing wrong with taking a little nap. Everything seems worse when we are tired. Sit in grand silence and listen. Listen for the birds chirping. The wind rustling through the leaves on the trees. The crickets chirping. Stand outside and behold the beauty God created for you to enjoy. Let these breathtaking views intoxicate you out of your deflated state with tranquility, a calm mind, and a quiet soul. 

4.  Talk. [Prov 17:17] When we are deflated Satan loves to isolate us. Sometimes we need to talk to someone who will listen. Someone not in our immediate family. I have three people in my life with whom I do that frequently. My former college roommate. My brother and fellow soldier in the fight I used to serve alongside. And a trusted brother and pastor I used to be in an accountability with years ago. Each of these men has listened. They have also offered some wise counsel. Sometimes their counsel was hard and I DID NOT LIKE IT BUT I NEEDED IT. We can't hold the pain inside. It has a way of working itself out in destructive behaviors. Talking to others about deflated faith is hard for prideful people. Believe me I know. When I get deflated, I want to isolate myself, lick my wounds, and hide my pain from people who love me and care about me. God created us to live in community. We need other people. Sometimes we need Jesus with skin on. What I mean is that we need other Christian people to console and counsel us through our pain. 

5.  Pray Incessantly. [Luke 18:1] Do not lose heart in praying. I know there are times when you cannot muster another word in prayer. You are prayed out. You have offered them all before in faith. When your faith is deflated it is hard to want to pray anyway. It is easy to justify not praying thinking that God is all powerful and He will do whatever He is going to do no matter what you do or do not pray. Sure, we pray to get results. There is also a therapy in prayer. An unloading of heavy burdens. Prayer is so much more than just petitioning God for our requests. There is worship. There is listening. There is interceding for others. Where else but God can we go for help? Substance abuse will not make the problems go away. Immorality will only add to our problems though offering temporary pleasure. To God we must go time and again. We can be honest with God. Raw in our emotions. Expressing our grief, anger, confusion, and even doubts. God can handle all of it. That is what David did in the Psalms. Time and again God brought David back to the faith. He can and will do the same for you. 

Like I said earlier, none of these is all that insightful. They are practical things God has used in my life to inflate me when my faith has deflated. I pray He will do the same thing for you.