And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful – Mark 4:19
“Today’s class will be an extension of last week’s discussion about faith and hope,” Mr. Williams, the Sunday school teacher, announced. “I gave you all a homework assignment, which was to read the story about Elijah to answer the question: Did Elijah lose faith or hope? Is there anyone willing to share their thoughts?” “I will,” Shelly said, rising to her feet. “Elijah didn’t lose his faith in God; he allowed his feelings of failure to make him lose hope in his value to God.” “Thank you, Shelly, for your keen insight. It’s a perfect opener to begin today’s lesson about opponents of hope,” Mr. Williams declared.
Elijah’s crisis disproves two myths: that true Christians don’t encounter mental health issues, and that only non-believers experience feelings of hopelessness. Elijah’s battle with darkness wasn’t an indication that he lacked faith in God. The real culprit was that the mighty prophet had allowed external factors to eclipse what was essential: hope. Consequently, Elijah believed his inability to prevent the Israelites from idolatry meant he was a failure, thereby concluding he was of no value to God, to others, or to himself. Then, coupled with a deprivation of food and sleep and the fear of Jezebel’s death threats, Elijah fell into severe depression.
Without the right perspective, setbacks and rejections can impair one’s outlook on life, thereby becoming opponents of hope. This is also true of negative generational environments.