Advent & Mental Health: Pt. 1
Put Your Hope in God
In Latin, the word for advent is Adventus and means coming or arrival. This points to the most anticipated and hope filled themes in the Christian faith- the first arrival of Jesus which we celebrate at Christmas and the one we are still waiting for, his return. This season is meant to give us renewed hope and we are invited to slow down and dwell on the true meaning of the season. Celebrating the advent season isn’t only a way to praise and worship God but a time to set aside the worldly hustle and bustle that causes anxiety, fear, anger and depression and instead practice mental activities that bring us Hope, peace, love and joy.
Hope
Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
If you grew up in the church, hope is one of those words that it's easy to forget its meaning. But in scripture, we are commanded to hope. In the passage above, we see a situation where the psalmist addresses the struggle of depression, anxiety or something of the like- a disturbed soul that needs a remedy. The remedy seems simple right- “hope in God” he says but what exactly is that? If Hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen (dictionary.com), then “hope in God” is when we shift the source of the expectation from yourself or our circumstances to God being the one who solves the problem. We trust him to fix it and take it out of our hands.
For Christians, hope is putting our confidence in God. If every year the topic of Christmas makes me angry and stressed, then my confidence is in the power of my circumstances- I believe that the stress of the season will make me stressed, angry and distressed. But Isaiah 40:31 (NIV) promises, “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
So, this year we have a choice- we can continue to expect the stressful situations and trust in the power of our circumstances or we can change and trust in God.
Einstein said that “insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” This year our goal is to create change, not sit passively by as the same events cause you the same trauma year after year. This is the year that hope creates change.
The Narrative:
All of this sounds well and good but practically how do we shift our hope?
Well, it is all in our minds. In Tony Robbins’ book Unleash the Power Within, he tells a story of someone walking into the kitchen and saying over and over “I can’t find the salt” they repeat over and over “I can't find the salt, I can’t find the salt” to the point the are screaming it and someone else walks in reaches right in front of the salt seeker and hand them the salt from directly in their line of sight.
To quote Mr. Ford, “Whether you believe you can, or you believe you can’t you are usually right.
You see, God gave us such powerful minds that we can convince ourselves that we cannot see something, like salt, even when it is right in front of our face. This can also be the case with our expectations of the holiday- on November 1st my narrative starts:
“I hate the holidays”
“It is so stressful”
“I will disappoint someone”
“So and so is always rude to me”
“I can’t handle this”
“I am going to hate this”
Once these phrases start, I do not stop them. I say them so much my mind believes me and no matter the circumstances I am stuck in hate, stress, disappointment, offense, weakness and dread. And guess what- if that is my christmas list, by December 31st I get Every. Single. One. I make it all happen.
So, what if this year we are different?
What if this year we stop the negative thoughts and speak in hope?
Instead of the powerful words above, we turn to the even more powerful God of the universe and say, “I can't wait to see what God will do this year.” What if instead of preemptively hating the people who have hurt us in the past, we pray, “God, Scott hurt me last year, help me to forgive him and please bless him with joy and peace from you.” What if “I can’t handle this” turns into “I am so excited to grow and change this year” and we think through positive ways to interact instead of playing the old tapes of the past.
What if this year is different? Let’s take time to pray now and HOPE in what God has for us this year.
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
Romans 12:12
“For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”
Romans 8:24-25
Prayer Activity:
When God sent his son as the long anticipated messiah to earth, he showed us the hope we can have in God’s promises.
Is there any area in your life that you have been waiting for clarity, completion or answers that have led you to doubt the goodness of God? This is the perfect time to confess the doubt and ask God to give you a renewed hope in his promises.
"I pray that God, the source of all hope, will infuse your lives with an abundance of joy and peace in the midst of your faith so that your hope will overflow through the power of the Holy Spirit"
