Posted on May 8, 2022 Posted By: HCCCategories: journey
Heartland Community Church
THE JOURNEY
MindFull: Smashing Stigmas
By Allison Antrim
Listening to Allison and Brad share their mental health struggles today made me realize that I’m not as alone as I might feel. I’ve been a Christian since I was seven years old and wrestling with anxiety since I was nine. The way it has primarily shown up in my life is a constant, obsessive worry about whether or not other people like me. For most of my life, going through each day has been like carefully stepping through a minefield, trying to avoid doing anything to draw negative attention. When I inevitably do something I perceive negatively, accusatory thoughts rise up and swirl around me like angry crows, loudly repeating refrains of how stupid I am and how embarrassing what I’ve done is. Hours, even days, after I’ve done something, a sudden memory of it will pop up in my head and bother me so much that I actually have a physical reaction to it.
I know that God loves me, that he is for me, that he will never leave me or forsake me, and that he will never let me down. Yet I also know I have anxiety. It’s something I may always have with me as long as I am on this earth, and I don’t quite know what to do with that. Like Allison, I used to think that having anxiety meant that I must not love the Lord enough, that if I could only pray harder or read the Bible more or just be a better christian, then I wouldn’t struggle with my worries about what others think of me. Now when I look at God’s word and see how some of the people who loved him best – like Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah, and Job – wrestled with depression and anxiety, and how even Jesus himself had a very real dark night of the soul right before his death, I see that walking with God doesn’t always equal protection from mental health struggles. The mystery of our faith lies in knowing what and who is true, and taking steps toward him as often as we can.
Like Brad and Allison shared, the practices of soul care, seeking godly counsel, and prioritizing close relationships will help strengthen our feet to take those steps toward Jesus. Which of these practices needs your attention this week?
Observe, Reflect, Apply: Read Psalm 23 2-3 times through. Notice the phrases that stand out to you. Why do you think you noticed those words in particular? How might a phrase in this Psalm help you approach your mental and emotional health this 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.
{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 this Psalm and note the movements in the wording. Try to identify an emotion or lens with which the author is speaking to God in each segment. Are you able to have conversations like this with God? Might you consider engaging him in an open, ebb and flow conversation like this? How do you think the author of this Psalm felt after writing these words?
In this passage, we hear the writer moving back an forth between hope and despair. Ever been there? I know I have, and can totally relate to the writer swinging from one posture to the next. My internal thoughts often sound like this, too. Consider writing your own psalm today. Express all of your thoughts and emotions, your questions and fears. Invite Jesus to join you in it all…the highs and lows, the hard and the joyful…because he wants to sit with us and walk with us through ALL of it.
Does God hear us? Is he mindful of us? Does he ignore us? How/where do you need God to hear, see and be mindful of your life and your emotions this week? Where do you need his protection or intervention in a hard situation?
How would you locate yourself on a spectrum of overwhelmedness? From 1 (at peace and confident) to 10 (holding on by a thread), where are you today? Have a conversation, prayer, or jot down the words you would share with God to seek his help when you feel overwhelmed. Doing great today? Write a prayer of thanks for the confidence, stamina and fortitude God has surrounded you with.
Hear. Protect. Save. Give. Mercy. Listen. Answer. These are things the writer asks of God today. What do you need to ask of him? Where do you need God to meet you today? Now take a moment and describe who God is to you right now? As we follow the pattern of this psalm, we also see the writer offering themselves to God. What can you bring and offer to him in your life right now?
This psalm is filled with vivid imagery. Choose a phrase that resonates with you today. Perhaps it’s a phrase that reminds you of who God is. Perhaps it’s a phrase you can echo as a prayer. How might you take this psalm with you today as a prayer for security and a season of thriving for you or your family?
{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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