Whether it be money or free time, I know God will provide through the wacky weather we've had this summer!
I was in a funk for the past few days, but thanks to my wonderful mother's words of truth, I am out of it now! After four days straight of no work, I was feeling really anxious and worried about the size of my upcoming paycheck. I was initially thrilled to have easily found a job for this summer. However, those initial feelings of excitement turned into confusion quite quickly! What did God have in mind by making it pour buckets of rain just one week into the job? The weather shut down opportunities to work in the local waterpark for multiple days in a row. Would this become a trend for the rest of the summer?
I panicked and started searching for second jobs, different workplaces, online/at-home jobs, and even different positions within my current workplace. I tried anything and everything I could to fight back against the rain's attempt to keep me out of work. Thank goodness Mom stepped in at that point to set me straight! She reminded me that all would work out fine in the end. Mom eased my fears of not being financially stable and provided hope for better weather and time to pick up additional shifts the rest of the summer.
I now realize the rain may not have been what I had envisioned, but it is exactly what God had in mind. Although He wasn't going to make it rain money, He certainly provided just what I needed to grow as a friend and a member of my family. I had the time to text and spend time with friends with which I had lost touch, the opportunity to play a long game of Monopoly after an evening at the pool with my sister, and enough of a break in the rain to go on a leisurely walk with my mom.
Those experiences mean more than the dollar bills I could have earned in that time. God truly has a plan and knows what is best for us. He might not be providing the money I expected, but I know He will take care of me.
Scripture reminds us that we can always trust in God's timing and plan.
"The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest." -Psalm 85:12
"He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he." -Deuteronomy 32:4
"Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken." -Psalm 55:22
I might not be seeing money now, but I am going to choose to rejoice in what I am being given in this time! God is going to care for us and bring glory to His kingdom in whatever way He chooses. We might not always understand, but we can trust that He will provide!
Good Afternoon and Happy Monday!
I've gone back and forth about sharing an exciting moment from my past few weeks, but today I decided to go with it and write a post!
I hope by sharing openly about mental health I can be a witness to Christ's goodness and can encourage others to pursue emotional and psychological healing through the resources He provides for us. Although it is sometimes taboo in our society to discuss mental illness, I think the only way to make progress in helping people to heal is to be transparent, understanding, and supportive by addressing these issues.
Some of you may not know that last July I was diagnosed with depression and generalized anxiety disorder. Although I've always been a worrier and had anxious tendencies, last summer was the last straw where I realized those tendencies were overtaking my life and ruining relationships with family members. God bless them all for putting up with my snappy outbursts, panic attacks, fatigued and grouchy moods, and tears at every little disagreement!
After diagnosis, I decided there were two main options for dealing with these unpleasant mood swings and my feelings of low self-worth and guilt: ignore the issues or get help. I chose the latter.
However, this choice was not as simple as get some medication and think happy thoughts. In fact, the consequences of the choice to get help sometimes caused more stress than the anxiety itself! I had to make counseling and psychiatrist appointments a priority, decrease my involvement in extracurricular activities, temporarily eliminate caffeine (it can increase anxious feelings), make time to decrease stress through reading and exercise, and increase my time spent processing negative thoughts (therapy can bring up some pretty uncomfortable topics!).
There were times where I freaked out and thought my life would be forever ruined by anxiety. I thought I wouldn't be able to handle myself, let alone be able to have and support a family of my own someday. Depression can bring some ugly thoughts and can make life seem hopeless.
Through Christ, I saw these hopeless moments turn into new opportunities. On Friday, April 4, He brought some major excitement to my spring and made me realize just how far He pushed me towards being a more relaxed and joyful person-- I graduated from counseling!
"Graduation" might be a stretch as far as terminology goes (I think the technical term is I am "terminated" from the counseling program), but that is what it felt like! Hearing the words "I think you met all of your goals for counseling" was music to my ears. I am continually amazed to have made so much progress in such a short amount of time. Although there were some great counselors, doctors, and family members in the process, I know that the most significant factor in my healing was God's grace.
The scariest part of anxiety and depression is that there tends to be a recurrence throughout one's life, depending on situational triggers and genetic predispositions. That thought used to really terrify me, but now I am realizing that if God brought me through it once, He can do it again. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to a more joyful life with less anxiety and negativity. Even if there is a recurrence down the road, Christ will provide all of the resources I need to see myself the way He sees me and to cast all of my cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7).
As for now, I am going to enjoy my "graduation" and embrace the new habits of anxiety-free living. I hope and pray that this post comes as encouragement to anyone dealing with mental health issues. God will and does provide!
Hello Everyone! Happy Wednesday!
Tonight I just had to sit back and laugh. I took a shower for the sole purpose to shave in preparation for wearing capri-length pants to a group exercise class, got myself mentally pumped and motivated, and then was told by a friend that Zumba class was cancelled tonight. All that prep for nothing!
This scenario reflects a lot of situations that arise in life, in which we have positive intentions only to find that those plans were not aligned with what was actually going to happen. Sometimes the switch is more disappointing or more exciting than my Zumba class falling through, but nevertheless, we have to deal with the situation and move forward with the change in schedule.
I realized just a day or so ago that I had felt it was a wonderful idea to make the "Spread Some Love" Facebook page and put words to action, but even I have fallen off track with following through on that plan! Good intentions, but was it realistic? Probably not! I learned a lesson about myself through that experience-- setting a daily plan for how I can bless people is neither my strength nor is it practical! I'm realizing more and more that God wants me to see ways to help show others His love on sporadic and spontaneous everyday occasions, not through a scheduled-out calendar of Facebook events.
So after going back and forth over what to do with this ineffective Facebook page, I did some talking to God and self-reflection and decided I would leave it in case someone else finds it to be useful. If it takes off and people want to connect via the page, great! If not, nothing lost and insight gained!
My initial thought was to end this post with the hope that your day is going more as planned than my own, but that might not actually be the best idea with which to leave this subject. Rather, I hope and pray that even if your day is not going as planned, you can trust God has something bigger and better to fill that time!
Pure ugliness. That's what eyesores bring out in the believer. As soon as we lay our eyes on a trigger, negativity can fill our minds, bodies, and spirits.
The eyesore might be seeing someone working a job you wanted and needed.
It could be viewing a declining balance on an online bank account statement.
Possibly, it could even be seeing a former friend spend time with someone besides yourself.
Maybe the eyesore is an article in the newspaper about a controversial topic.
No matter what your eyesore may resemble, that visual cue to start worrying, feeling disappointment, and doubting God's goodness can become a very ugly and bad habit-- a negative addition to our lives that Christ does not intend for us to have!
I have recently taken note of some eyesores forming in my life. At first, I struggled to fight those negative feelings. I still do have difficulty stopping the thoughts at times. Nevertheless, the more I have practiced placing a "stop sign" in my mind and choosing to believe God's words as I push forward, the easier and more rewarding it has become. Fighting eyesores brings peace, contentment, and comfort, which are feelings I think all of us would like to have.
Christ offers His people the opportunity to place all of their worries, fears, resentments, and negativity in His hands. We can choose to believe the lies Satan tells us when we see those eyesores, but we can also make a conscious effort to replace those faulty thoughts with Christ's truth. Eyesores are an opportunity to lean on Jesus and to realize how comforting His words and His presence can be in our lives.
In 1 Peter 5:7, we are told: "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."
The next time your eyesore triggers a worry, cast all of those fears on Him.
In John 10:10, we are told: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
The next time Satan places an eyesore to be a thief of joy and contentment, take note that Christ wants us to have life to the full.
In Matthew 7:7-8, we are told: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
The next time an eyesore leads you to feel resentment or disappointment in someone, do not be afraid to ask Christ for strength to help you forgive and move forward. He is always there for you and provides everything you need to have a new door opened.
Christ provides us with a different lens for viewing eyesores. I challenge myself and my readers to keep an eye out for eyesores in our lives in order to develop a positive outlook through Christ. He will bring light and color to a dark and dull view on life, if we choose to accept His goodness!
