Happy Monday!

What is the Truth about your current situation… according to the Word of God? 

During and after loss, there can be regret, shame, blame, hurt, pain, anger, hopelessness, lethargy, depression, and a level of loneliness that is unfathomable, along with a myriad of other emotions. This is a hard truth, but there is something else that we need to understand about loss. Pain will not kill you.

We were not promised that we would never have pain, but that Jesus bore our pain, grief, and sorrows. It’s important to realize, though, that to be able to give our emotional pain to God, we first have to acknowledge it is there. We must face it and know that He is with us. We can always cast our cares upon Him. In His Presence is fullness of joy. We can go into His Presence sad, but come out of His Presence with joy, (Psalm 16:11b).

What is it that you need to bring into His Presence right now? What can you leave, so you can exit His Presence with the unfathomable JOY which is there for the taking?

As an act of faith, mark through the emotions that are weighing you down and that you need to leave at the altar in His Presence right now…regret, shame, blame, hurt, pain, anger, hopelessness, lethargy, depression, loneliness _____________ _____________ _____________.

Now, by faith, circle what you are taking from His Presence! Hint: It’s the only word to choose from…

J O Y

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I want to clear up a few things that a lot of Christians get hung up on.

• Our emotions are real and have to be dealt with, not ignored.
• Though our feelings will lie to us, the way to overcome them is to subject them to His Word and believe what God says over how we feel.

• It is not just okay to get help, but it is scriptural to humble ourselves and ask for what we need. Sometimes our need is wise counsel. I am a huge proponent of Christian counseling, so much so that at our Happy Girl Conference, I often have a mock therapy session with my therapist on stage. She also teaches in a workshop at the conference each year. You have not because you ask not, so ask someone who has the knowledge you need in order to get unstuck. We all get stuck at times and need a hand. Unashamedly reach out when you need it. The Bible tells us there is safety in the multitude of 42 43 counselors, (Proverbs 11:14). Because of this Truth, I think we all need at least one! Get over yourself and go to counseling.
• Medicine is sometimes needed to stabilize a situation. If you were to endure a physical trauma requiring surgery, you would need anesthesia to get through the procedure, as well as physical therapy, in order to recover fully. Likewise, if you have sustained severe emotional trauma, you might need medical help to stabilize your mental health. There is no more shame involved in treating mental health than in taking medications to be able to endure surgery. Just as with our physical recovery, medicine isn’t always enough. We need a proper diet, healthy sleep habits, and sometimes physical therapy. Similarly, to complete our emotional healing, we need healthy relationships, lots of time in His Word, and sometimes therapy. 
• What if you haven’t experienced trauma, but find yourself in chronic pain or sadness? Some ongoing physical conditions require maintenance medicine. So do some mental illnesses and disorders. I am not a health professional and in no way giving medical advice. What I’m saying is: Don’t ever think that taking medicine means you aren’t in faith for your healing or that you are weak in some way. Believe God while taking it, that you will eventually not need it, if that is your desire. Treat it just like you would with any medicine you’ve taken for physical ailments. Usually, the underlying goal, when taking medicine, is to regain health, right? But while you need it, take it if it helps. The stigma that is associated with mental health is something I want to help remove. That is why I bring this up. I have met so many Christians who are ashamed of this topic. Shame takes us nowhere good! It takes us further away from where we are trying to go. Lose the shame and get help.

• Remember this: You always have a choice. When psychiatrists prescribe medicine to you, they tell you that it can help, but exercise and life choices also play a huge role. They all say this because you still have a choice and that is beautiful. Never surrender your choice to depression or anxiety or anything else. Science has proven that you can change your mood by simply making yourself smile, doing a jumping jack, or standing up straight and tall. You can make the choice of getting out of bed, even if only to put one foot in front of the other. You can choose to read the Word and build yourself up in order to beat the grief associated with loss. Or you can choose to let it beat you. Changing your physical state can change your mental state. Take this moment to think about how much changing your spiritual state could alter your mental state in positive ways.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2 NAS

When we renew our minds with His Word, it transforms us. It changes us from depressed to happy, from poor (in our minds) to thankful and from anxious to peaceful.

So may I ask again after getting your dose of HAPPY on this Monday… What is the truth about your current situation according to the Word of God? I encourage you to write down what God speaks to you about this and then speak it out of your mouth. Watch your faith level increase and your joy level increase as your thought level increases! 

XOXO,

Adrienne Cooley

If you missed my last blog post, “Crazy Faith,” you can catch up on it here. It explores the question, “What is the truth about your current situation according to the Word of God?” and offers insights that can help guide you.