Goodbye, Mr. Melancholy!

August 13, 2018

The melancholy came back for a visit this morning. It had been my traveling companion for most of my adult life until a few years ago, God convicted me of the sin of ingratitude and I made a commitment to focus on (as St. Paul put it) “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, anything excellent or praiseworthy.” (Philippians 4:8). It was a spiritual detox that took a full year to cleanse my soul from the negativity that was dragging me down. And as in the physical realm it takes continual diligence and watchfulness to maintain health regained, it has been a continual fight to maintain my joy. Like an addict, I have to be more careful about negativity than others because if I allow myself, I’ll go right back to where I was, perhaps even worse. Jesus’ story of the man who was cleansed of a demon but who by not allowing God to fill that place the demon called home ended up seven times worse off is true to life, even for those who cannot stomach the concept of angels and demons (Matthew 12:43-46).

Constant prayer is the cost of continual freedom, but it’s never an easy battle. For those who imagine prayer to be like the old hymn where “He walks with me and talks with me” in a pleasant garden, I would like to remind you that for Jesus, it was a battleground where he sweat great drops of blood in his struggle with the devil. This morning, the battle was enjoined. I read my Bible, prayed, and went to work. The melancholy followed me all the way to Dunkirk and sat down with me at my desk.

But midway through the morning, Debbie poked her head into the office and asked if I would like to talk with a man who had come to the Willow Mission for some food. I followed her to the waiting area where Lynn was sitting and talking with him. Lynn stood up and went into the office area while I greeted and talked briefly with him. “I just prayed to receive Christ,” he told me. At those words, Mr. Melancholy took off running! I am so proud of Lynn and Debbie! They understand that it’s more than feeding people’s bodies; it’s all about giving them the Bread of Life.

Later, Gabriel stopped by and introduced me to a homeless young man he had befriended. He had been traveling with the carnival and stayed behind when the county fair ended, but had no place to stay. Gabe is a young Puerto Rican man who pops in regularly with a smile on his face and a “Praise God!” on his lips. I haven’t managed to get him to church, but we’re working on it. Meanwhile, God is bringing needy people to us, and I can say wholeheartedly, “It’s been a very good day!”