Category: Mental Health

SUNSHINE! Gratefulness, And a Little Bit Accomplished

So today didn’t go quite as planned (but then again, what day does?) I didn’t get many of the things accomplished that I wanted to, but I am still grateful.

I WAS able to get a few thing done around the house. I WAS able to pay a bill (yay, lol!) And I WAS able to take my dog Daisy for a walk outside in – yes, it’s true: SUNSHINE! So for these things, I thank the Lord.

And I thank the Lord for the things that I DIDN’T get accomplished. Yes, I wish I would have had a much more profitable day, but I’m grateful that God is able to take my day and use it for His purposes. And hopefully tomorrow will yield better results.

Tonight my husband and I have the privilege of going over our friends’ house for dinner, and then to church for hand-bell practice. Ah, hand-bell practice. That is where my perfectionism and anxiety come in. But I am determined to stick to the two rules that I’ve made for myself: 1) Have fun, and 2) Be “okay” with making mistakes.

We’ll see how things go! ❤

Photo Credit: Alejandro Escamilla

A Hidden Purpose

Nothing is ever easy. I’m learning that more and more as I travel through life. And it gets quite depressing. But I’m also learning that even though nothing comes easily in life, the things that are important to me are worth the effort.

The past few days have been difficult. I’m not doing well on my medication…it’s causing my depression and anxiety to worsen, and I am much less stable. I had to ask my Mom to come up to visit me yesterday to help get me out of the rut that I was in. And she did, and it helped. But I have to wait until the end of March to see a new doctor who will hopefully help me get my medications back on track.

There have been other situations that have caused anxiety, as well. Finances, along with the duties of everyday life and taking care of a home (and not having the energy whatsoever to do so) have been discouraging. But I have tried to keep close to God…and I think that has been the only thing that has gotten me through.

It’s strange, though. Yesterday I was so angry at Him…I just didn’t understand why things were the way that they were. I took time to read the Bible and also a devotional, but I found myself yelling at God in my mind and throwing His promises back at Him, thinking, “This isn’t true in my life right now,” or “You promised this, but You didn’t follow through with it.” I must say, I still don’t know the answers to why certain things in my life are the way they are right now (mostly regarding my health), and maybe I never will. But one thing I DO know is that no matter how difficult things have gotten in the past, God has always carried me through. And I must have faith that He will do the same in this situation.

I’d like to share with you the devotional that I referred to. Yesterday I read it in anger, and today I re-read it in desperation. This time I found comfort in it–in Him. I hope that it is an encouragement to you.

I magnify You, O Lord, I exalt Your name, for You are great and highly to be praised. I praise You for the glorious splendor of Your majesty and the power of Your awe-inspiring acts. Your power is unlimited…absolute…beyond imagining. You are able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or dream of. “There is nothing too hard for You.” Who is like You, “majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders”?

O Lord Most High, You rule over the heavens and the earth, for You made all things by Your great power, and You keep them existing and working by Your mighty Word. You are exalted high above every star and galaxy in the entire cosmos…yet You are also “the God of all mankind,” the great, personally present, personally involved God who loves, rescues, and takes care of all who trust You. You exercise Your gracious authority over all nations – and over each individual in all the world. There is none like You, the true God, the living God, the everlasting King.

I praise You for Your sovereignty over the broad events of my life and over the details. With You, nothing is accidental, nothing is incidental, and no experience is wasted. You hold in Your own power my breath of life and all my destiny. And every trial that You allow to happen is a platform on which You reveal Yourself, showing Your love and power, both to me and to others looking on. Thank You that I can move into the future non-defensively, with hands outstretched to whatever lies ahead, for You hold the future and You will always be with me, even to my old age…and through all eternity.

~ 31 Days of Praise, by Ruth and Warren Myers

As I said, I don’t know all of the answers…but I know that I must keep going. And thankfully, I have the support of my God, my family, and my friends. There is some purpose in all of it…and I will see that purpose when the time is right – even if that means I must wait until heaven for it to be revealed.

Photo Credit: Lee Scott

A Dare to Be Grateful

I’ve been thinking a lot about my need to focus on giving specific, daily praise to God. Not just because He wants me to (although that alone is reason enough), but because I need to. 

I need to remind myself of the good things that He blesses me with, instead of always focusing on the negative things that happen. I need to become a more positive person, instead of one who often sees the glass half-empty. And I need to fight against my perfectionism – by learning that just because things don’t work out exactly the way I want them to, it doesn’t mean that my life is over. It just means that we live in an imperfect world. But there are still many, many things to be thankful for!

I didn’t know exactly how to go about beginning this “praise journey,” so I did a little research on the internet. I looked for ideas – prompts, if you will, for a specific thing to focus on each day.

God, in His goodness, led me to the Joy Dare. It was created by Ann Voskamp, author of the book One Thousand Gifts. In the dare, you use the prompts that she provides to help you “count your own One Thousand Gifts.”

I want to take this dare. I want to focus on praise to my God. And I want to “change perspective — give thanks — and live all His joy!” I want to become a more grateful person.

Will you join me on this praise journey?

Photo Credit: Ann Voskamp