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.
