Healthy On The Inside
This kind of healing may come through medical professionals, it may come through counselors and pastors, it may come through friends. Sometimes people find freedom and healing through seminars and books, or through deep teaching of some kind. Most amazingly, I know many people that are restored simply through Jesus working in their lives. God is the master physician and it's miraculous when the Holy Spirit simply leads us.
The links below provide the point-form notes for each sermon along with an audio recording. Of this bunch, the one that really stood out to me was the last one about depression. In particular, Angela Mercer sings a song that she wrote entitled "Timeless" towards the end of the sermon. It's an emotional song and it get right to our hearts on this. Following that, Pastor Rick closes the service by telling his personal story about how he struggled with deep depression at one point. That story is well worth hearing if you want to take the time.
Week 1: Self Esteem
Week 2: Anger
Week 3: Fear
Week 4: Depression
4 comments:
I can see how asking these questions (i.e. What areas of my thinking need to change?) with a close family member or friend would be an exercise as opposed to trying to do this yourself when you are in denial or oblivious or whatever. If everyone could just know even one area of their thinking that needed to be changed and trusted in that, we would all be better for it. I think this is the biggest dilemma, is learning what needs to change because you might be okay with a line of though or way of thinking because you believe it to be useful or accurate, or insightful when it could be harmful or erroneous, etc. I dunno, these posts make my brain go wild.
I like your point, Lori. The goal of being emotionally healthy can seem big and nebulous, mysterious and scary at the same time. By sticking to one small issue at a time, it brings things into perspective and makes them seem more manageable. A journey begins with one small step, right?
Yes...
I have come to discover that the one thing that has caused the greatest amount of healing has been LOVE.
I have seen it time and time again and I have even seen it through myself. Imagine a person who has been abused as a child and who cannot get out of the cycle of self destruction. Imagine him or her coming home one night after doing something totally and unbelievably appalling. Imagine the shame on that person. Imagine realizing that you just destroyed everything that was ever good in your life all in one night. Imagine how people are gonna think of you. Imagine how you feel and how you think that maybe you should just go right back out into all the mess you just came from because maybe all those people are fkd up but at least they will understand. Now imagine that you believe no one will ever love you again and that all the ones who loved you and who you loved are gone. Now lets switch sides. Now you are the one confronting this person who destroyed their life. You hear the horrific things and think you wanna just run for the hills as far away from this person as possible right? You feel a sickness in your stomach and wonder how coould any human being do that. These of course are natural reactions...but God has something else in mind....now you start to feel pain and you realize that your heart is breaking for this person. You realize that this person is alone and afraid and doesn't have the slightest clue about what to do. You realize taht this person is a good person and that what they had done the previous night is not really who they are. You believe in them and you believe that God can heal them. And then you give them a hug and say "It's ok. I love you. I'm not going to abandon you. I believe in you."................that, I believe is the love of Christ and I have seen it change even the hardest, most lost person in the world. I have seen the darkness in that persons eyes change and then I see just a glimmer of light in their eyes upon those words being said.
My friends, in the words of a famous musician, All You Need is LOVE. And who is the epitomy of love but Jesus Christ. Jesus never ran when it got tough. In fact Jesus sought out the sick and the wounded and loved them unto healing. .... hmmm, that response turned out totally different then what I originally set out to say...oh well! Hope you got something out of it. hehe
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