The power of the human spirit is remarkable and it is mentioned elsewhere in Proverbs (15:13; 17:22). This verse notes that a person’s “spirit” (I’d like to suggest “attitude” as an appropriate term) can sustain them in “sickness”(and other tough times).
But when a person’s spirit has been “crushed” – even when their body may be healthy and fine – they have trouble finding a reason to keep going. Here at Helping Up Mission, guys will say that once their spirit was crushed, they gave up on life and didn’t really care what they did or what happened to them. It is a place of hopelessness and that’s what the second part if this verse is talking about – it’s hard to “bear” being in this terrible place very long.
The good news for our guys is that one of the first things they find here is hope – they begin to feel there is a reason to go on for at least one more day. If they do continue, they also begin to find answers to the daily struggles of life. And, if a guy stays, I am happy to report that he will also begin to experience supernatural empowerment in his life.
Hope, answers and empowerment – what you should expect when you connect to a supernatural God! It happens, and as we say here in East Baltimore, “That’s how He rolls!”