There are moments, sometimes days, where the stress or my emotions get to me.
Like yesterday afternoon.
When things added up so much on my shoulders that I couldn’t take any more. Nose bleeds, tension and my thoughts piled up to try and drag me down.
As soon as I realized what was going on, I paused, asked God what I should do, and followed the prompting I got to do “a”, ask for help with “b & c”, move “d” and leave “e, f & g” until next week.
I also felt prompted not to go into work today, as I had previously thought I needed to do to get on top of things. But today was to be my day off, and God was holding me to it.
I wasn’t meant to carry things on my own, friend, and neither were you.
“You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights, each tear entered in your ledger, each ache written in your book.” (Psalm 56:8)
Today I am catching up on my rest, some cooking, some writing and reading, after I left my stress behind at the foot of the cross and my tears on His loving shoulders.
“When we can’t bottle our tears up anymore, God catches every one in His bottle. God’s catching every falling tear because He won’t let us fall apart.” – Ann Voskamp
And because He doesn’t want us to fall apart, He has given us a weapon, and a gift.
“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NIV)
Praying through our negative, unhealthy emotions is a weapon God has given to each of us. To filter what we feel and think through His Word, and ask Him to tell us what we need to do about it.
- Abandonment? Give it to Him, and allow Him to remind you Whose you are.
- Anger? Give it to Him, and allow Him to show you what to let go of.
- Depression? Give it to Him, and allow Him to hold you up when you need it.
- Frustration? Give it to Him, and allow Him to point out how to sort it out.
- Grief? Give it to Him, and allow Him to comfort you.
- Insomnia? Give it to Him, and allow Him to fill you with His rest.
- Lies you’ve believed? Give them to Him, and allow Him to reveal the truth.
- Loneliness? Give it to Him, and allow Him to draw near to Him.
- Memories causing you duress? Give them to Him, and allow Him to bring healing.
- Mental anquish? Come to Him, and allow Him to shine His light into the moment, and point the way out.
And friend, the gift I was referring to in addition to prayer?
His Presence.
For when we bring anything to God, He promises to meet us there, and He cares enough about what matters to us to keep track of it….
“You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights,
Each tear entered in Your ledger, each ache written in Your book.” (Psalm 56:8 MSG)
No matter what is mentally or emotionally weighing you down, friend?
He is there to help. 24/7, 365 days a year, into eternity.
What you need to do?
- Speak up. Find a friend, counselor, and/or physician who can support and help you learn new habits, plan a fresh beginning, and assist you in leaving what you need to behind you.
- Write how you feel down in a notebook, or calendar.
- Just because you feel it, doesn’t make it true, or give it the right to control your decisions. It is a feeling – a signal that something needs your attention.
- Come to God as often as you need to as your mental health or emotional well being needs. Find hope, healing and help through as you do.
- Remember that tomorrow is a new day. Just because today may have been the hardest of days, tomorrow waits with a clean slate.
#bellletstalk #emotional #mental #wellness #battles #battlecry #hopefortheharddays
KARLA LEES 