“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2 NIV
Being aware of your personal mental health is one thing; believing you can do something about it… is a whole ‘nother story.
Christian folks will say, “All you need is Jesus.”
Well, that’s fine. But who is he? What can he do for me? I heard, when you get to know him… life gets harder. What about that, huh? What about that?
How are we suppose to “renew our mind” with Gods word when we don’t have a clue about any of it.
God has a plan for that. It’s called a family. A mom and dad, who, somehow, have come to know Him, and raise their kids in the knowledge of the Lord. Then that kid raises his own kid. And he his, and so on and so on.
Except… the worlds gone to pot. Even if you grew up with a great dad, and mom, odds are… they don’t know him either.
I have come to a conclusion. After all this time of reading, researching, and writing.
It has to do with PAIN!
Here it is.
“All pain… is a cry for help.”
Are you willing to help…
If you get a pebble in your shoe… your foot cries out, “Help! I’m hurting.”
If you wake up in the morning… and your back cries out, “Go Slow! I’m sore.”
If you are aching, sore, with sharp pain after work… and your feet and legs cry out “I’m done!”
Or… or… if you have a mental anguish that feels like a giant C-Clamp is cranked down on your temples, with an over tightened leather belt around your sinuses, with a general feeling of hopelessness and impending doom hanging over you…
Yeah, you, your brain, your feet, your back, your body, and your soul…
are crying out for help!
And we give pain a bad rap.
All of the self-help books, all of the Psychology Today articles, all of our striving for success, could be… I said, “Could be.” All things that help us to renew our mind.
But when you get to the point where your soul aches, and hurts worse than any physical pain, but you never had a dad, or a mom, or anyone, to help you to learn and grow through these things… then it’s a good thing He sends His Spirit to touch our hearts, to incline us to ask in a simple prayer, “Are you really there?”
And when He answers us… we get a wee bit terrified!
But… when we realize the mental pain, and anguish of our souls has subsided, with just that small acknowledgement… we experience joy for the first time… and wonder if, “Jesus is all I need?”
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