Exhortations for The Soul

How many of us find ourselves struggling with emotional pain, anxiety, or spiritual burnout? If not now, have you ever, or never have you ever? And when you have, if you had, have you ever felt like or even been told that you’re weak…why do you let this person have such control over your emotions… come on, be strong.   As we go through this series, I am being educated and made aware that the many times I’ve been there did not mean that I was weak or didn’t have enough faith. And somebody else needs to be reminded today that emotional pain, anxiety, or spiritual burnout is not a sign of weak faith. Well what is it? Hear this: When we feel our emotions getting out of whack, when we become anxious over some circumstance in our lives, or when we find ourselves working so hard in our church, it simply means that we are carrying too much for too long without healing space.   So what do we do.   As was mentioned yesterday, we embrace stillness. Emotional healing within a faith-b...

So far this week, we have had some heart felt moments as we looked at emotional and mental health and Christianity.   We learned that mental wellness is not simply the absence of a diagnosis, rather, it is the presence of emotional balance, spiritual grounding, and the ability to function through life’s challenges.   So many of us as Christians today continue to struggle with issues such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, mood swings, and other forms of emotional and mental instability.   We even see examples of persons in Bible days where they went through similar situations.   According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, mental wellness is “a dynamic state in which an individual can cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively, and contribute to their community.”   For Christians, this includes walking through emotional storms while holding on to the peace that Christ offers. This right there is an art. But this right there...

Mental health is a subject, an issue, a phenomena that is often misunderstood within the Body of Christ.   Many people think mental health is the absence of mental illness. But it goes deeper than that.   Mental health is holistically a state of well-being in which a person can think clearly, manage emotions, relate to others, and cope with life’s challenges.   According to the World Health Organization, mental health is “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and is able to contribute to his or her community.”   Emotional health, a vital part of mental health, is the ability to be aware of and manage one’s emotions constructively, enhancing relationships and resilience. In biblical times, King Saul suffered from intense mood swings, rage, paranoia, and depression. After being anointed king, Saul disobeyed God, lost favour, and soon spiraled into torment...