Just as the ancient sun rises daily anew. So also, is God’s eternal mercy new every morning.  Being able to grasp God’s ancient faithfulness anew each morning, being able to begin a new life with God daily in the midst of one’s daily life with God, that is the gift God gives us with each new morning.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

In Mornings with Bonhoeffer, editor Donald McKim opens one of the daily devotions with the above quote. The scripture attached to this devotion is from Lamentations 3:21-23.  Until I read this devotion, I had had little exposure to the biblical book of Lamentations. Lamentations is a collection of five laments bewailing the fall of Jerusalem to the Neo-Babylonians. The laments are painful to read and offer little hope or positive reinforcement as they serve as a constant reminder of the failure of God’s people to maintain their covenant with Yahweh and subsequent punishment.

 

Listen to these chilling words: “The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall! My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me”. (Lam. 3:19-20)

 

WoW! There is nothing in those words to bring one up from the pits of depression and discouragement. It is part of the human condition that we experience those times of disillusionment that push us into the pit of depression. A deep abyss that we cannot always climb out of on our own.

 

Sadly, there are those of our acquaintance who live daily with a brooding sense of abandonment and emotional distress. It does no good, in fact it may do irreparable harm, to blame the depressed person, for the condition in which they find themselves. To say, “pull yourself up!” or “Get over it!” only sends the person into deeper throes of despondency.

 

Depression falls over me like a heavy wet blanket when I allow myself to engage in the practice of comparisons. Theodore Roosevelt is credited with the statement, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Indeed, in my experience, comparison is not only the thief of joy, but the harbinger of depression. Inevitably, my comparison leads to self-doubt and self-deprecation. The sense of “I’m not good enough” pushes me to resonate with the writer of Lamentations “My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me.”

 

The other side of comparison is my self-righteous judgment of others. I tend to take on the God-like role of determining another’s value. It is too easy to place my gifts and experience above that of a sister or brother. The “put-downs” come too easily as I stoop to demean someone else. Regardless of where I find myself in the comparison game, there is absolutely no joy whatsoever. I’m either depressed over my own perceived failures or disappointed in my inappropriate judgments of others.

“The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall! My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me.”

Following this cry of abject desolation is the word, “but.”

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning

great is your faithfulness. (Lam. 3:21-23 emphasis added)

 

Bonhoeffer caught the essence of this daily renewal when he opined, we are “able to begin a new life with God daily in the midst of one’s daily life with God.” We have a daily walk with God, each day we are engaged in a relationship with our creator and redeemer. Hope is constantly renewed by the fact that each new day allows us to begin a “new life with God.” It may be helpful to think about the words, “new life.”

 

Allow me a bit of poetic license here. I recently renewed the license for my car. When I complete the process and place the new sticker on the license plate, nothing really changes. Yes, I renewed the license as the law requires, but it is the same vehicle, requiring insurance, fuel, and maintenance as always.

 

Similarly, if we are to maintain our relationship with God, there are certain activities that we need to cultivate. We need to commit to prayer, study, and worship. By practicing spiritual disciplines, we maintain a healthy spiritual relationship with God and our sisters and brothers in Christ. We will experience times of refreshment and renewal as we draw closer to God.

 

However, the writer of Lamentations describes our relationship with God as “new” every morning. This is more than merely renewed. In Bonhoeffer’s words, “This is the gift God gives us with each new morning.” With the new morning, we rise to the new experiences of the day that God has in store for us. Each day provides the opportunity for God to reveal God’s self to us in new and exciting ways. Each day provides opportunities for spiritual maturity. We learn to pray more deeply, listen more attentively, and live into the Incarnation.

 

The challenge is to put comparisons, disappointments, failures, and fears aside and live into the love and hope that is God’s absolute reality. God’s presence is new every morning. Let’s live into that reality.