When You Are Crushed in Spirit

I still remember the moment when my spirit was crushed. I was riding home from work when it happened. The details aren’t important but that moment was a pivotal point in my life. It caused my life to change course.

What does it mean to be crushed in spirit?

It is the event or situation which breaks the emotional glass in your soul. It is more than just being hurt, it is a trigger moment in life. It is something that crushes you so deeply that you either let it destroy you or you decided to make changes in your life.

Crushed in spirit" describes a state of total emotional, mental, and spiritual exhaustion caused by intense grief, trauma, or unrelenting life struggles. Often referencing Psalm 34:18, this condition involves a broken will, loss of hope, and profound sorrow. It signifies being overwhelmed to the point of feeling unable to cope, yet the Bible promises divine closeness and healing for those in this state.

A crushed spirit is when you are broken, wounded, or defeated spirit, described as feeling "at the end of one's rope".

In my case, I chose to make a change. It was drastic. I’m sure people who knew me at the time only know their outside view of it but none of them saw the shift inside of me.

I think we all have these moments in our lives. Something will either crush us or prod us to change direction. That one moment. The final straw to forces you to examine your life and become bitter or better.

Having been through this moment, I have some things to share with you about how to handle it.

#1 - Find a place to examine your life.

Make the time to get away by yourself. Maybe a long weekend at the beach or just any place where you can have time to think. It must be a place where you can do some serious soul searching.

#2 - Don’t worry about what other people will think.

Sometimes we are too concerned about pleasing everyone else that we forget to be happy. We worry too much about what people will think about us.

#3 - Decide what you want to do and do it.

When you know the path you want to take - do it. Don’t waffle about it. Decide to be who you are. You might have to burn some bridges so you won’t be tempted to go back.

#4 - Don’t give up if the changes get hard.

Making changes won’t be easy don’t allow the difficult things to discourage you. It isn't an easy thing to rebuild a crushed spirit and it takes time.

When you are crushed in spirit, you don’t have to stay crushed. Find a way to rise above it and renew your mind and spirit. You might find that in the end it was worth it.

I look back now nearly 15 years later that I made the right decision and I took a new course in my life. I can tell you with absolute certainty that I am living the life I am supposed to be living. I am exactly where I should be. I have no regrets. Did I do everything right? No, but I had to figure it out along the way.

Having your spirit crushed isn’t the end. It could be a new beginning.

Living in Perilous Times

Once upon a time we could “agree to disagree”. Sadly we can’t seem to do that anymore. It only takes a few minutes on social media to see how divided we truly are. Unity is hard to find. Even a choice not to be political is being political.

I’m tired of politicians regardless which side they are on. We had one recently who had a big block party to celebrate the start of his time in office.  He hasn't even done anything yet.  Have a party after you have accomplished something first.

I’m done with talk and parties and promises. Hype doesn’t get the job done. Action is what matters. I remembered last summer that someone stood for hours addressing congress. Why?  Words without actions are just words.

Where is the integrity? I try not to make a blanket statement over every politician but most get elected and seek money and power. The greed lures them to be out of touch for how the rest of us really exist.

Fake news? Yes there is a lot of it - both ways. Who can you trust? One news person talked about transparency and being like Walter Cronkite. If you have to tell us that then that is already a red flag.

There was a time when we couldn’t figure out how the Anti-Christ would be able to deceive people but with the reality of  artificial intelligence (A.I.) and slanted news it is eerily possible now.

Scary times.

I fear where we are headed but the Bible warned us about this. There is one verse which warns us about “perilous times”.

The Apostle Paul's warning to Timothy was that these last days will be filled with “perilous times.” The Greek term translated “perilous” is chalepos. Its basic meaning is “stress” or “fierce,” coming from a root word meaning to “reduce strength.”

Those times are here. More than ever before.

I worry when I walk the streets when I see how many people are looking at their phones. Slaves to the technology which can easily be used to track us. With every software update, I have to disable settings which surrender more of my privacy. I can see how our phones could play into the plans of what is to come.

Conspiracy theories? Perhaps but the fact remains that we must be vigilant.

To be vigilant means “to keep careful watch for possible danger or difficulties.” Vigilance requires action. A vigilant person actively pays attention to what is vying for their attention and what affects the heart and mind. We must keep a clear mind as we vigilantly keep watch over our lives and the world around us.

Be Like Bezalel & Oholiab

Bezalel & Oholiab are two obscure characters in the Bible but they played a vital role in God's plan to design the Tabernacle in the Old Testament.  This dynamic duo appears in the Book of Exodus (Exodus 31 & 35) as spirit-filled craftsmen who were chosen by God.

Bezalel's name meant "in the shadow of God" and was filled with the Spirit of God granting him wisdom, understanding and skill in all crafts to design and execute the complex plans for the Tabernacle. He was gifted with doing metalwork (gold, silver, copper), stone work, wood carving and other detailed design work which was crucial for the Tabernacle.

Oholiab's name meant "father's tent and was divinely appointed to serve as the deputy architect for the Tabernacle. He crafted the details for many sacred items as well as working with fine linen and threads.

When I studied about these two men, I wondered if they were already talented or if the Spirit of God gave them this ability. I haven’t found an answer for this. I guess it doesn’t matter. God still recognized that this duo fit into His divine plan and gave them the opportunity. God either anointed these two skilled craftsmen or He supernaturally gave them the ability to do what He needed them to do.  That's pretty exciting don't you think?

However it happened, they certainly took it and they ran with it.   Can you imagine how these two felt about this amazing holy honor in building the Tabernacle where God would reside and meet with His people?

God can do the same with us if we are willing.  He can even empower us in our jobs.

I often pray that God would make the complicated things about my job easy for me and to grant me favor - and He has many times!  God can use anyone at any time that He chooses.  It's exciting to know that He can use us in this way.  I used to make the mistake in thinking that I had to be divinely called into some ministry in the church but I have learned that God's purpose in our abilities are not just limited to the church walls.  

In whatever we do we are encouraged to "Do all things for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).  I think this is captured perfectly in the song "Do Everything" by Steven Curtis Chapman when he sings:

You're picking up toys on the living room floor for the fifteenth time today
Matching up socks, sweeping up lost Cheerios that got away
You put a baby on your hip, color on your lips and head out the door

While I may not know you, I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes, does it matter at all?
Well let me remind you, it all matters just as long

As you do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
'Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
Tell the story of grace with every move that you make
And every little thing you do

Maybe you're that guy with the suit and tie
Maybe your shirt says your name
You may be hooking up mergers, cooking up burgers
But at the end of the day
Little stuff, big stuff, in between stuff
God sees it all the same

While I may not know you, I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes, does it matter at all?
Well let me remind you, it all matters just as long

As you do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
'Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
Tell the story of grace with every move that you make
And everything you do

Always be open and ready for God to use what you do for His purpose.  You don't have to be a preacher and you don't always have to preach a sermon to use your talents and abilities for God.  Just as these two obscure men in the Old Testament answered the call, we too must be ready for His call.