Am I allowed to choose it?
I just thought we could post about which person from the Bible we identify with the most and why.

For me it would probably be Peter because one second he was on fire for Jesus and the next second he was having a time of doubt or even outright denial but he always bounced back - so the fact that he had these extreme highs and extreme lows resonates with me. (walking on the water to sinking on the water - denying Jesus three times to jumping out of the boat and swimming to shore when he knew it was Jesus and Jesus reinstating him to go feed His sheep)

The person from the Bible that I would identify most with would be Sarai (Abrams wife). I wanted to have a child, so desparately too, and now I'm divorced, too old, tired and depressed. I felt like God gave me a promise that I would have children, but my husband didn't want any kids. I didn't want any either when I first got married, but after a couple years, I wanted a little Johnny or Joy. God gave Sarah a child in her old age. I need to trust God with my life. I went back to school after the divorce to get a degree in Elementary Education. While working 40 hours and going to school I went in for a physical and the doctor found some large fibroid tumors and I had to have a hysterectomy five years ago. After that I had another bout with depression and I really stuggle knowing that I will never ever have a child. I don't have the energy or desire to finish getting a Teaching degree and I don't have the desire for a child like before. I just exist and I need new dreams and it's hard.

One person in the Bible I really identify with is the prophet Jeremiah.

God told Jeremiah to speak out and warn the Israelites to repent from their unfaithfulness-idol worship--because God's patience was wearing thin. Jeremiah had a 'nasty' message to deliver which he didn't want to speak. However, he was faithful to God's call on his life, and did speak the message God asked him to speak.

Jeremiah's story speaks to me in many ways. For one, I felt God calling me to become a teacher...but I was terrified of public speaking, yet God gave me the strength and passion to complete a teaching degree and certificate, and work in the field of teaching for five years. Although my situation in being called to speak to students as a teacher was different than Jeremiah's calling to speak to the Israelites, Jeremiah 1:6-9 has been close to my heart for many (about 10) years, while I was studying and working in education.

There are also some amazing pictures that God uses to show Jeremiah His truth. In Jeremiah 18:6, God compares Israel to clay on a potter's wheel, and Himself to the potter in saying, "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does? Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel." It is really amazing, because the clay that God is referring to had begun being shaped into a pot that was "marred in [the potter's] hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him." (Jeremiah 18:4)

I feel that is what God is doing with me through having to deal with the illness of depression. Because of sin in this world and God's sovereignty, God has allowed me to experience being "marred" by depression. Because of this illness I am not the same person. But, I think that is one of God's purposes in allowing problems in our lives--He uses them to shape us "into another pot...as it [seems] best to Him." God's best is to shape me more and more into His image...and if He chooses to use depression to shape me to be more like Him...I must accept that I struggle with this illness and learn how to become more like God through it.

I find such comfort in the truth expressed in Jeremiah's prayer in verse 23 of chapter 10: "I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps."

I pray for us all, that we would be able to live the above truth and become more like God's image by dealing with struggle that comes with depression.

Laurie

Hi!

This is an excellent topic for the week! thanks for posting it. Anyone can post a topic of the week, I just came up with the idea.


The person I relate to the most in the Bible is David.

He was a man after God's heart, but he surely made alot of mistakes.

I too have a Heart after God, but make a lot of mistakes.

David seems to cry a lot to God. I too seem to cry a lot to God.

David wrote songs and sang to the LORD. I don't write songs, but I love singing to the Lord.

David was always running from the enemy. I to seem to cannot get the Devil off my shoulder. LOL or should say my mind. He tells me so many lies. I am stupid enough to believe them at times.

Well this was fun. Thanks for sharing this topic with us.