I'm Fineنموونە

Life is tough. The older you get, the more you realize that it has no bias towards people. We typically can't control the bad things that happen to us, but we can control how we respond.

Before we go any further in today’s reading, let’s revisit some fundamental truths that are pertinent to this conversation of mental health:

• We all go through tough times.
• The reason for creation’s brokenness is sin.
• God created humans to be emotive beings and so it’s okay to feel the bad emotions too - it doesn’t mean something is wrong with you.

THEREFORE

• It’s okay to not be okay. Just don’t stay that way.
• No matter where you’re at in life, Christ has something more for you.

Okay, now that that is established, let’s expound more on the passage for today. Take a moment and re-read Philippians 4:4-9.

Here, Paul is writing this letter to the church of Philippi, while he is imprisoned in Rome and awaiting his impending death. He would be martyred roughly 2 years later under Emperor Nero’s reign. SO when Paul is imploring that the readers rejoice, to not be anxious, to think about what is just, honorable, and lovely, to let your thanksgiving be made known to God, etc; these are all things he’s having to preach to himself while he is probably experiencing a lot of the opposite emotions sitting in a wet, grimy jail cell with rats scurrying about him.

Think about it, this circumstance would knock the proverbial breath out of us. Not Paul though; he is worshiping God the most when his circumstances are the least ideal. And I’m sure it wasn’t easy either. Look at verse 4: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say rejoice.” I’m sure he is writing that as much to himself as he is to the Christians in the church of Phillipi. He even has to reiterate it twice!

I wonder how much of our anxiety and pain rooted from life’s circumstances is compounded by our reaction to them? What if instead of hopelessness, anxiety, and pessimism, we took on life’s challenges with joy, confidence, and hope? Not because what we’re going through isn’t painful or real to us, but because in our suffering and pain, the Lord is near (v. 5). And God can do so much through this circumstance we’re in, not if we shy away from it, but if we lean into it and (by proxy) Him. In all things, God wants to teach us to rely solely on His strength. So when something goes awry in your life, practice what Paul does and preach to yourself.

Tara-Leigh Cobble in the Bible Recap has this great commentary on the good that comes out of doing just that: “What we fix our minds on shows up in our hearts and actions, bearing fruit in things like rejoicing, gentleness, prayer, and peace. God is all those beautiful things, and by fixing our eyes and minds on who He is, our thoughts are filled with beauty.”

Question to consider: What are some habits that you can pull out of Philippians 4:4-9 and start to implement in your mental health journey?