Psalm 37:7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,over the man who carries out evil devices!
Be still before the Lord
Wait patiently for Him
Don’t worry about someone else who is getting ahead.
Be still
Psalm 37:9 … but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
I mostly write my posts while riding the bus to work because it is a way for me to sort out my thoughts. And this morning the sun is shining through the window on my face and I see green all around me. And I am content.
Why did I live my 30s wanting more – wanting to be more, wanting to have more?
And then when we did have more, I felt guilty, like we didn’t deserve it, or we spent too much money, or why should we have a bigger house than some of my friends.
If someone were to ask me the secret to being content, I would be able to tell them some wise things.
Be grateful for everything – in everything give thanks. And I was thankful, yet still couldn’t allow myself to enjoy things.
Or
Don’t compare yourself to others – comparison steals your joy. If I had less, or my house was messier, or I wasn’t as fit, or I didn’t host people in my home as often, I must be less. And if I had more, then I didn’t deserve it. How can you be content when this is the way your brain works?
I think it really does take a certain amount of life experience to really see and understand that your own mess is beautiful. And that everyone else is a mess too, and that’s beautiful to God also.
The husband God gave me is so perfect for me. He’s not perfect and I’m no where near perfect, but we are so perfect for each other.
And the amazing kids God gave us and is allowing us to raise, we don’t even deserve. They aren’t perfect either, but they are so right in our family unit. And I pray that we will speak, encourage and pray all the right things over them so God’s plans for them will prevail.
Geri Scazerro says in Emotionally Healthy Women, we all have different rhythms we need to live by.
When I am living as the person God wants me to be, living out the passions and gifts He gave me, I am content. It looks very different than my friends’ lives or even what most Christian women are called to do. And that’s all Good. That’s the way He made us.
My rhythm requires quiet, and at home time. It requires being in nature and having space around me.
I am visionary, yet introverted.
I am optimistic, yet timid.
I have opinions, but hate conflict.
I am hard-working, but not-driven
I love people and all their different talents and quirks, but hate crowds.
I am intelligent, yet open to correction
I love music, but can’t handle noise.
I love the night and the moon and the stars, and also my sleep
I am passionate and enthusiastic, but tired.
I am stubborn but flexible, easy-going but set in my ways.
(And this is starting to sound like an Alannis Morrissette song)
11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Psalm 62:1-2 Truly my soul finds rest in God;my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation;he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
Psalm 62:5-8 Yes, my soul, find rest in God;my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation;he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God;he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people;pour out your hearts to him,for God is our refuge.
Yes, my soul, FIND REST in God.
my HOPE comes from Him.
My honour depends on God.
He is my refuge.
I will pour out my heart to Him and find rest.
This is a link-up with Lisa-Jo Baker’s Five Minute Friday
The story about Elijah is still burning in my mind and has been all week. I love when God’s Word soothes your soul like that.
And I’ve been thinking about Nothing. How God came to Elijah in the stillness, in the quiet, when there was nothing.
Elijah was so inflamed that his people would turn their backs on such a powerful God. He wanted to show them God’s power in big, demonstrative and mighty ways.
He asked God to show His might with a big supernatural fire.
But then when Elijah was discouraged and tired, God demonstrated to Elijah in a very clear way – first a big wind, then a big earthquake and then a big fire, and then nothing. And that’s where God met him.
God is in the nothing. Which negates the nothing. There is no nothing because He is always there. And sometimes we don’t feel Him there. So we hold on the the hope that He gives us when all we feel is nothing.
1 Kings 19:11 Then he was told, “Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by.”A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn’t to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn’t in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn’t in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper.
A gentle and quiet whisper in the nothing.
My small group of women are doing the Emotionally Healthy Woman study (which is fantastic btw) and last night Geri Scazzero was talking about faulty thinking. And she referred to the passage in 1 Kings 19 where Elijah finds out that Jezebel has vowed to kill him. (After he slew 500 Baal prophets).
And Elijah runs away and cries put to God
Take me now, Lord. They have killed all your prophets, destroyed your altars and I alone am left – and they seek my life!
And the story seems really odd. Like why did Elijah have no fear going up against hundreds of Baal prophets. He never doubted that God would do as he prayed.
And he wasn’t afraid of the king’s wrath at all.
It was Jezebel, a woman.
She vows to take his life and he runs away.
And we wonder what happened to his faith?
But does God scorn him for his lack of faith?
No, in fact it is the opposite!
He sends him to shelter. And he has him rest. Like sleep and sleep. So that an angel has to wake him up and give him food.
And the angel doesn’t just give him bread. The angel gives him cake!!
And he sleeps more. He sleeps and sleeps. And again, the angel has to wake him up to give him more cake and water.
And whatever is in this cake from the angel, it is enough to sustain him for 40 days and 40 nights as he walks to mount Horem where God is.
I really could use some of that cake!
A cake baked on a hot stone and a jar of water.
I checked this verse in multiple translations and they all say cake. I even tried to look it up in my key word study Bible, but it wasn’t listed.
The angel says to Elijah
Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.
Words of tender compassion from an angel.
And it is sustenance for 40 days and 40 nights.
And when he arrives at the mount,
1 Kings 19:9-14 There he went into a cave and spent the night.And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
I alone am left.
Have you ever felt that way?
But God corrects Elijah,
1 Kings 19:18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
7000 men who still serve God. That’s hardly alone.
Elijah was so zealous for the cause. The Hebrew word qana implies a very strong emotion in which a person is desirous of some aspect.
I think we would say that Elijah was so passionate for the purposes of God. He felt so burdened that His people had rejected the one true All-powerful God. He felt compelled to demonstrate God’s power to them and how foolish their obsession with Baal was. He had such great conviction.
Yet once his treat powerful demonstration was over, I think he just felt that it was all for naught. If there were no other prophets or altars to keep reminding the people, then what was the point?
I think he felt he won the battle but the the war was lost.
And I think he was just spent.
He had gone all out for God and now he was done.
And when you are in that place, even the smallest thing can seem insurmountable.
And Jezebel had vowed to kill him.
That was the thing that broke him.
How awesome is it to know that when we are in that place, just too tired, our compassionate God wants us to fully rest?! That he sees us with so much compassion and wants to give us rest.
This was nourishment for my soul this week.
God seems to be trying to speak to me about rest (still, or again…) because I keep running across other peoples blogs and articles about rest and sabbath.
I saw the movie, Mom’s Night Out Highly recommend it!!) I don’t want to give any spoiler alerts, but let’s just say, although I laughed so hard in this movie, I also SOBBED during a couple of parts. There is a part where the Mom is sobbing and telling her husband that she is happy, and has everything she ever dreamed of, she’s fine, she’s just tired.
And I have had this same conversation with my husband. More than once. Over several years.
But in the movie, the mom figures it out by the next morning.
Why, why, why, have I not figured it out???
Life is Messy, but I am a beautiful mess.
It’s a great message.
But it doesn’t mention the fact that my house is messy. I mean it is always messy.
Comparison steals your joy.
So I won’t compare my messy house to others.
But God – the house is still messy!!! not comparing doesn’t help it get any cleaner!
and days after seeing the movie, the thought of that scene still brings tears to my eyes. Even my closest friends who went to the movie with me did not seem to feel the sucker punch of that scene the same way that I did.
Why?
and in the past 7 days since seeing the movie, God has been whispering to my heart.
Maybe the house is a beautiful mess too. It’s a home. With a family that loves and respects one another and laughs together. As full-time-work-outside-the-home parents, we’ve chosen to make our kids a priority over the state of the house. As parents, we’ve shared the workload as best we can because in the end, we both just want to spend time with our kids.
So our house is a beautiful mess because it contains a beautiful family.
God says to my heart
– I am doing a good work in you. Look at your children. You work hard and honour me and I have blessed you.
And I reply with thankfulness to my faithful God. Help me to always honour you.
And then while driving alone this past weekend, and I spent many hours driving all over 3 counties this weekend which I take and am grateful for the quiet, restful, alone time, I heard Keith Green’s The Lord is my Shepherd.
And the familiar passage took on a whole new meaning for me.
(Amplified version)
Psalm 23:1-3 The Lord is my Shepherd to feed, guide, and shield me, I shall not lack. He makes me lie down in fresh, tender green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters. He refreshes and restores my life my self; He leads me in the paths of righteousness uprightness and right standing with Him—not for my earning it, but for His name’s sake.
Psalm 23:6 Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord and His presence shall be my dwelling place.
He MAKES me lie down in green pastures.
He LEADS me beside the still and restful waters.
The antidote to despair is hope.
But how do find hope when all you feel is despair? What if you just feel down or blue or just blah for no reason?
HOW do you get back to the place where you recognize HOPE again?
Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
We have the GOD OF HOPE on our side!
We have the POWER fo the HOLY SPIRIT in our corner!
if we BELIEVE
we will ABOUND in Hope!
not just have hope, no, no.
ABOUND in Hope!
Overflow with Hope!
Despair will drown!
by BELIEVING ….
Hope and Faith are connected. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Psalm 43:5 – Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
Psalm 62:5 – For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.
Psalm 71:14 – But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.
Proverbs 10:28 – The hope of the righteous brings joy,
Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Lamentations 3:24 – “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
So choose to believe, choose to remember that God is faithful and He will give you Hope!
Hope as the antidote to despair is part of my strategy for Maintaining Good Mental Health
(This is the 3rd post in a series about mental health, the 1st was Fighting the Blues – Knowing Your Warning Signs, and the 2nd was Fighting the Blues – How to Get Healthier – Mentally)
Staying mentally healthy can be just as difficult as getting mentally healthy. It’s like trying not to gain weight after a successful diet program. You must be vigilant.
Sometimes life throws you a curve ball, so you are aware you are going to have to take care mentally. Other times, feeling down seems to sneak up on you, and it feels illogical because there isn’t actually anything wrong.
Here are a few things I have learned, and need to remind myself frequently, to maintain good mental health.
1. Find your passion and life and go after it – Go after, seek, fight for the things that bring you life, things that are life-giving for you, the things that you are passionate about, the things that make you feel. For me, this is my family and quizzing.
The antidote to apathy is passion.
2. Help someone else, BUT, be careful not to get dragged down into someone else’s negative world. Sometimes it is easier to help someone who is not part of your everyday ‘real life’. For example, I write to a bunch of Compassion kids, mostly teens from all over the globe. I love to encourage them and feel good when I have written them short notes of encouragement.
The anti-dote to self-pity is compassion
3. Physical and spiritual health go hand in hand with mental health, you need to keep those aspects in your life healthy as well. Go for a short walk, listen to Daily Audio Bible podcast, read a Psalm etc. This is where you find hope.
The anti-dote to despair is hope.
4. Choose your friends carefully – this is part of setting boundaries and sticking to them. You can be kind to everyone around you without being friends with everyone. Choose to be with people who build you up and who have a positive spirit about them. Know when you need to retreat away from people to rest, but also know when you need to be around people, to be fed and built up.
The anti-dote to negativity is JOY!
5. Be grateful – I’m going to quote Ann Voskamp again – but you need to CHOOSE to be grateful, EVERY DAY, ALL DAY. Everyone can find 3 things to be grateful for everyday. You have control over the thoughts in your head, and your thought life drives your feelings, which drives your emotional state. So redirect the negative thoughts and replace them with a grateful thought.
The anti-dote to resentment is gratefulness.
6. Choose grace – don’t be so hard on yourself. Just because someone says or thinks something negative about you, doesn’t mean it’s true. Just because someone blames you for something, doesn’t mean it’s your fault. Choose to accept responsibility for your actions, if required and move on. You have a Heavenly Father who knows you intimately, He already knows all your faults and weakness, yet loves you overwhelmingly. He is the only one I need to please.
The anti-dote to perfectionism is grace.
Psalm 139:1-3 He Knows our Thoughts
139 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
2 Corinthians 10 Take Every Thought Captive
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please seek professional help if you think you may be suffering from real depression.
In the previous post – Fighting the Blues – Know Your Warning Signs – I talked about things that I know are little warning lights for ME, to try and get back on track mentally.
In order for me to try and improve my own mental health, I need to know what kinds of things give me mental strength and bring rest and healing to mind. I think this is a VERY personal subject, and I can only write about the things that I have learned about myself.
1. Saying NO. When I am fighting my way to get better, I need to say no to everything that is non-essential, even good things.
2. Physical health basics such as 8 hours of sleep, eating properly.
3. Setting and guarding my boundaries.
4. Ensure that I continue to take my vitamins, medications etc.
5. Praying and claiming my anchor verses.
Anchor Verses
I have a few verses that I cling to when needed.
Phil 4:6-7
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Isaiah 51:11-12
11 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
12 “I, I am he who comforts you
Psalm 27:4-5
4 One thing have I asked of the LORD,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to inquire[a] in his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Revelation 21:4
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
What verses do you cling to?
(This is the 2nd post in a series about mental health, the 1st was Fighting the Blues – Knowing Your Warning Signs)
In an effort to keep myself mentally healthy, I am learning to monitor my mental health. It’s like taking your pulse regularly to make sure you are still doing ‘okay’.
I’ve come to recognize of my own personal warning signs. And I suspect that, like knowing your migraine triggers, everyone is different. Here are a few things I’ve learned might be warning signs for me:
1. Constant sighing – sometimes I actually wonder why I can’t just exhale normally and why it always seems to come out as a sigh.
2. Tiredness – I say to my family things like ‘I just need to sit down for a minute,’
3. Losing things – I can be absent-minded but when it starts happening frequently as in I can’t find my keys this morning, I forgot my cell phone, I don’t know where my sweater is, all on the same day, I know I am in trouble.
4. Overly sensitive, reacting out of proportion to a comment that wouldn’t have bothered me two days ago. Like when one of my children asks how many cookies I ate yesterday.
5. Feeling over-stimulated.
6. Feeling overwhelmed
7. Over-empathasizing with someone else’s problems
8. Having repetitive negative thoughts that aren’t based on reality
9. Dropping the ball – forgetting to do something I had committed to and fully intended to do
10. Saying something or just acting out of character – I am normally a happy, positive person, so if I respond in anger or resentment, I know that is not like me.
(wow, I thought I was going to write a list of about 5 things and then it turned into 10 – that was eye-opening!)
These are like my warning or caution or amber light zone.
Flashing Red Warning Lights for me:
1. Loss of appetite (I am typically a stress eater, so if I completely lose my appetite, it’s not good.
2. Unable to find joy in the things that normally give me life – my family, quizzing
3. Unable to laugh at things I know I would normally find funny.
The first verse I ever learned to rely on regarding mental health is Philippians 4:6-7
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
When we give thanks, Gods will guard our minds!!
How precious is that? That He can guard and protect our minds!
More on that thought tomorrow…
Next – Steps I Take when I finally notice the warning signs.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please seek professional help if you think you may be suffering from real depression.
Belle Faith 
