Wednesday, September 24, 2014

EMOTIONAL WHOLENESS

This is a topic that can go many ways. However, I am choosing as a basis, the  biblical worldview along with insights from secular mental health. Both have validity. Both help in the process of Emotional Wholeness.  

I recently attended a webinar put on by SAMSHA (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) which covered this very issue. The need for faith communities to connect with mental health providers and vice versa in order to be better equipped at reaching the millions of Americans dealing with some level of emotional / mental health issue. 

You see, the term mental health distracts us from the fact that some parts of a persons  issues are emotional however are connected to their thoughts (mental). And, some of the mental issues, especially diagnosable mental disorders, are connected to the physical, meaning the brain and it's chemical activity. And some come in the form of actual physical sickness when not properly addressed and/ or treated from an emotional/mental/spiritual perspective. Some issues are spiritual in nature that then affect the emotional, mental, and physical aspects of a person. 

Much of this information requires educational awareness from these different entities and directed at different populations of society for understanding, respect, and positive action to be implemented. This is what I appreciated about the SAMSHA webinar. The spiritual (and again, my worldview is biblical), secular mental or behavioral health, and related medical aspects are important to be understood and addressed. Often, we overlook all of the possibilities of a persons emotional problems because we are narrow minded or shortsighted because of our beliefs, area of expertise, or limited understanding. 

Emotional Wholeness means being emotionally healthy. Healthy brings to us the connotation of being healed. All of us at one time or another suffer an emotional crisis; a death of a loved one, a broken relationship, a church, work, friend or family betrayal, failed attempts at what we see as success, disappointments of various kinds or fear and anxiety due to the pressures of life or realities of terrorism and war. 

All of these and other items can produce emotional distress and cause a temporary period of emotional duress. Some people process through it in a healthy manner and come out stronger having learned their capacity to cope in a healthy manner at deeper levels. Others respond by engaging negative coping mechanisms which if activated for too long become a destruction force to their emotional well being. Even though seeking assistance when dealing with an emotional issue is warranted, it is especially recommended when negative ways of coping continue. 

Each of us, unless there truly is an untreatable brain disorder (which is questionable by those who believe in consistent soaking prayer), has the capacity for emotional problems. Grief, anger, anxiety, bitterness, resentment, rejection, sadness, depression, ungodly, negative or irrational thinking, unforgiveness, relationship issues, and the list can go on, introduce themselves to all of us at varying times of life. To address them (deal with them) is essential to Emotional Wholeness. Not dealing with them in an appropriate and healthy manner leads to our own demise, very subtlety. 

Many of us carry with us, from our backgrounds, pride that we can handle it by ourselves. Or, we subconsciously believe that if we share the truth about our emotional pain and/or our ungodly, negative, irrational thinking (use the term that you are most comfortable with), or slang, "stinkin' thinkin," that we will be looked upon negatively. This is when it is recommended that you seek out someone, (even a friend or family member) whom will be confidential. All mental health providers and pastoral counselor's or church leaders (should) are held to a vow of confidentiality. 

Some people don't really recognize that they have an emotional issue, only that they tend not to get along with a number of people or don't have friends or end up in arguments and fights more often than most people, or keep starting a romantic relationship that never blossoms into a keeper, unfortunately blaming the other person or people. 

Emotional Wholeness is your potential! It is possible! It may take a while, depending on your personal issues. But, aren't you worth it? Or is worthiness your issue? My purpose in this writing is as usual, to help you. To suggest that you think through your life and issues, to think about yourself. Then to assess where you are and decide whether you are emotionally whole. Also, to decide that if you do have some unresolved issues, how will you handle them. 

Lastly, let me say this, we need to stop judging each other the way that we do and realize that everyone is dealing with something, or has or will. And that the issues of our lives, though unknown to everyone, may in fact be affecting a person causing a particular attitude or response. That this is probably not their norm or is only their norm because of unaddressed emotional issues. Have compassion and empathy (put yourself in someone else's shoes) and pray for them. Say a kind word to them. Encourage them regardless as to their attitude, words or behavior. If you cannot do this, accept the fact that you, too, have emotional or spiritual issues that need to be addressed, then address them. 

We all need some help in some aspect of our lives. God made us to need one another and even commands us to help / love one another. Let's change our world by working on changing ourselves. Then being more willing to be a complement to others rather than bringing wounding to the wounded. 

Saturday, September 13, 2014

SPIRITUAL MATURITY

It's quite amazing to me how God works in our lives. Often, we do not recognize that He is at work. At times, we can or do look back and see how He was at work when, obnoxiously, we may have thought that it was our intelligence, wisdom, gifts, etc., that caused some beautiful thing to happen. We tend to pat ourselves on the back for our accomplishments, not fully giving the credit to the One who created us and gives us the ability and strength to do what we do. 

Be this motherhood, fathering children, doing well in our careers, or simply helping someone in some way. Many of us also tag dollars to what proves we are successful or numbers of people we reach through our efforts. Even though these things count for something, without God in the mix, they are nothing. 

Being used of God to help others become spiritually mature while I am in the process of becoming spiritually mature also amazes me. Granted, spiritual maturity is a lifelong process. All of us are at different levels, stages, or dimensions of our spiritual maturity. And even more amazing, we are more mature in some areas of life than in others. The danger in this is that we might think we are very mature all around because of some areas of spiritual maturity. That is, because of only some issues, attitudes or behaviors in which we have indeed "grown up." 

I am grateful that God has been working in me. When I say this, I say it through hindsight. Much of my spiritual maturity has come thorough some kind of pain, conflict, problem, issues, whatever term you choose to use. At the time, I could not see that He was doing some work in me. Whatever the situations that I was experiencing were more real to me than what God may have been trying to show me, teach me, or cleanse out of me. 

As a result of life events and of trials, the anointing of God and the wisdom of God come through me in ways that super amaze me! Even though I have had the opportunity, and still do, to receive training and learn skills for helping others receive emotional healing and/or become spiritually mature, God works through me for each person, couple, family or group in their situation in ways that I am often not cognizant of. My goal, however, is to yield to Him and allow His Spirit to have way as I am in the presence of others. 

To the credit of the many exceptional churches, ministries, ministers, family and friends that I have had the opportunity to glean from, I have learned that spending time with God and in His Word, no matter what is going on in my life (or what is not that I wish was going on) is of utmost importance. So, as problems, etcetera, arise in my life, I spend time with God, I seek Him for comfort, for peace and for understanding. Through these "precious moments" He instills in me things that turn into spiritual maturity. He then uses these "revelations" or "new learnings" to share with others in a variety of ways, one being counseling and also, through writing or speaking. 

Through all these words, what I am hoping you got is that for you to become spiritually mature (and remember, this is a lifelong training), you must spend time getting to know or better know God through prayer and the reading/revelation found in His Word (the Bible). This is not a process that you can engage always alone. You will need others to help you along the way. Whether it is through church, ministries, ministers, family, and friends or even through counseling. To become spiritually mature you need others. You need solo time with The Lord God and you need to learn from and interact with others. I hope and pray that you take this to heart and that in some way it helps you to be intentional about your spiritual maturity.


As an old friend of mine used to always say (Nancy Alcorn of Mercy Ministries of America), "so there you have it!"