Illness, The Thief

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

John 10:10 esv

We all have times in our lives when we decide to purge. We find things we have not used in years and decide to bag them up and donate them to charity so someone else can use them. Choosing to give something away is vastly different from having something taken away, especially something like our health.

We might do everything right regarding our health. We eat right, exercise, and keep up with doctor appointments, but one day something shifts. Our zeal for life and activities disappears. We are visited by an intruder—depression. It is faceless, silent, and can be lethal. This thief leaves us numb. It steals our time, our hope, our joy.

When we have been robbed of our health, we can find peace in knowing we still have one sure thing that cannot be taken from us, and that is God. John 10:10 tells us that God knows about the “thieves” that come into our lives, and he promises to give us a life that is more abundant, more than plentiful, and more than bountiful.

We might feel robbed of how things used to be. But God can restore things to even better than they used to be, whether that happen here on earth or one day in glory when, as Romans 8:23 reminds us, we will receive the full redemption of our bodies. Meanwhile, we can rest in the certainty that we belong to God. We have eternal life. And that is something no thief can steal.

The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief.

William Shakespeare

Mental illness is a thief that can rob you of your purpose, goals, sense of identity, and belief that you have anything significant to offer the world. You may feel like you are always a burden and never a blessing, but God says you are needed! What you’ve gone through can be a source of hope and healing to others.

Kay Warren

I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.

Jimmy Dean

For Further Reflection

James 5:15; Psalm 103:2–3; Psalm 130:5

Today’s Prayer

God, thank you for the promise of your power to restore what depression has taken from me. Please help me to let go of what I think is good in my life and surrender to your definition of the best. Give me wisdom and endurance as I follow you. Amen.