Posted on May 1, 2022 Posted By: HCCCategories: journey
Heartland Community Church
THE JOURNEY
MindFull: Jesus and Mental Health (Knots)
By Molly Fisher
Jesus simplified God’s most important commandment for us:
1st – Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind
2nd – Love your neighbor as yourself “The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
I believe there is a spiritual battle going on and what better targets for a spiritual war than our heart and mind. And I’m beginning to realize that there may be no better weapon than fear. One definition of fear is “an uneasy state of mind, usually over the possibility of an anticipated misfortune or trouble.” Well, that seems to describe everyone these days! It is impossible to love God with all your heart and mind, if they are preoccupied with fear of the unknowable future. Money may be the root of all evil, but fear grabs hold of the heart and mind, and takes a physical and mental toll.
Fear creates a disquiet that takes away our peace and wreaks havoc on our mental health. I find it fascinating that words along the lines of “do not fear,” are uttered almost as many times in the Bible as there are days in the year. Long before our times today, God knew this was going to be hard for humans.
Even for those of us who are introverts, the recent forced times of isolation were not necessarily good for our well-being. For me, the time with just me and my thoughts brought to the surface some pretty yucky parts of my heart, that I would have preferred to stay stuffed away. I began to encounter the “knots” Dan talked about, and they were messy. I had to start being very careful about what I watched, or listened to, and had to make very conscious decisions about what was good for my soul, mind and heart, and follow the apostle Paul’s advice in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think/dwell about such things.” I needed this protection for my heart and mind.
Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us – purposeful in what we dwell on. Though maybe not a Biblical term, something the Bible encourages:
Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and thanksgiving present your requests to God, and the peace of God, beyond our understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Matthew 6:25-34 “…do not worry about your life, food, what you will wear, …tomorrow… (be present in the day) Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (paraphrased a bit)
What are some “knots” you need to untangle? What can you do guard your heart and mind? How can you be more “MindFull,” in order to begin to follow the greatest commandment?
Observe, Reflect, Apply: At Easter Jesus didn’t just rise from the grave and go to heaven, he continued to be fully present. He found his disciples and others and met them once again where they were; met them in their fear, despair and confusion, to show them he was truly alive and physically present with them. When he did ascend to heaven, he promised the Holy Spirit, “Peace I leave with you…do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” We can now, every day, and with every interaction, experience connection to God. We may often miss these opportunities, but that is part of why he came in the first place – to redeem us all and all our moments, to fix and make beautiful, broken things/people, to make us whole – to help us “not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Prayer and reading the Bible are also great ways to align your mind and heart with Jesus, part of “the full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:8-10) to stand firm against the ever-present assaults, and for God’s peace to guard your hearts and mind.
{bible reading plan: psalms spirituality}
For the next few months we will be exploring the Psalms. For an overview of the Psalms, watch this 9 minute video from our friends at The Bible Project. To learn more about how to read the Psalms, check out this video resource.
In the series "MindFull" we specifically will explore Psalms through the lens of movements described by the author, Walter Brueggemann, as orientation, disorientation and reorientation. Our life experiences move through similar themes as the writers of the Psalms express. One day, we are oriented well toward Jesus and purpose, the next we might encounter a move toward disorientation. As we engage our relationship with Jesus, he comes alongside to reorient us in so many facets of life. If this idea intrigues you, check out his book, Spirituality of the Psalms.
Read the passage and make note of all the descriptions of God or his actions. Now, read a second time, and note anything we learn about ourselves in the passage. As you consider the value God placed on human beings, what are your take aways? What questions do you have, if you were able to ask God directly? What phrase, thanking God, might you add to this psalm if you were the author?
What do we notice about the writer of this psalm as we read? What posture does the author take toward God? What promises is the writer making God? How would you describe to someone God showing you the way of life?
What do you notice in this psalm about the writers view on God? How would you rate your relationship with God right now? Would you say you are in "right" relationship with him? Where could your connection to God improve?
This is another great psalm to make a list of what we learn of God in the pssages, and what we learn about ourselves (man). Could you pledge eternal allegiance to the God you are following? Where do your walls need to be fortified? Where do you need God to guide your life?
A couple weeks back we were invited to be a people who respond to Jesus’ invite "come and see", and then turn toward the people God places in our lives and "go and tell". How are you doing in these two areas of following Jesus? Which comes more naturally to you (come and see, or go and tell)? Who do you know that is great in the category you are not? How might you spend intentional time with them to gain strength in your area of improvement?
In this psalm we see many descriptions of what God is willing to do for us. Which action or provision of God have you experienced recently? Which are you in need of most right now? Join with us as a community in praying for God to be your provider this coming week.
{heartland mental health and care resources}
Join us this month and next for Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. This 8 week course will help us all explore how to puruse emotional health in our relationship with God, our understanding of ourselves, and our relationship with others. You can sign up for the in-person course starting in May, or the online (zoom) course starting in June. CLICK HERE to sign up.
Need an assist from a member of our care team? Contact us at care@heartlandchurch.org, and our team will reach out to connect you to the best resource for your need or interest.
{extra journey resources}
CLICK HERE to visit The Bible Project site and explore their super simple, super informative Bible videos (and other resources). You can also download The Bible Project App HERE.
CLICK HERE to get the Read Scripture App, from our friends at The Bible Project.
CLICK HERE for more on how to use the observe-reflect-apply approach to getting the most out of your Bible reading.
The Bible App Get the free YouVersion Bible for your phone, tablet, or computer. Experience the Bible anywhere, with options to highlight, save notes, and share what you are reading with others.
The Bible App For Kids YouVersion partnered with OneHope to develop the Bible App for Kids, designing it specifically to engage children with Bible stories on an age-appropriate level. The Bible App for Kids is a free app for Android, Apple, and Kindle devices, available in over 60 languages.
Bible Gateway Provides advanced Bible searching capabilities, which allow readers to find passages in scripture based on keywords, phrases, or scripture reference.
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