Weekly Thought – July 4, 2023
Fred enjoyed boating, especially Kentucky’s Lake Barkley. But his original marine adventures were in a Chris Craft outboard motorboat. He would hitch it to the station wagon and drag it across Cincinnati to the River. One of the favorite destinations was Coney Island for the children. He would drop them off at the dock, give them a dollar, and tell them to meet him when they were out of money. One night he miscalculated the ability to guard nickels and dimes thus making their return to the dock at least an hour longer than Fred (with no cell phone) anticipated. A lesson was learned that night as they quietly drove home. He gave instructions but they had a variety of applications.
A Healthy Lifestyle
Dr. David Morrison, the renown psychiatrist known for his corporate practice emphasizes mental health, not mental sickness. Corporations hire him because he majors on keeping executives healthy and productive. Shifting the focus from analyzing the sickness to emphasizing health intrigues me.
One of the key elements of mental health is a realistic perspective. I like to remind people to stay current. It is too easy to live in the “wish it were” or in how it “used to be.” I met with a man who wanted to talk over a problem he had overcome. He eagerly shared about his victory. We make a mistake in thinking we have our lives straightened out for all future time….that nothing can slip up behind us. But it doesn’t work that way.
I heard a new Christian tell a large audience how she had suffered with depression for years, but now that she had found Christ her battles with depression were all behind her. In her words she was “forever over depression.” That may be true. However, she can open herself to an emotional surprise which could unsettle her faith. I didn’t want to plant doubt but I felt obligated to assure her that if she were to run into any future problems, the same Christ who was sufficient right now would be then, as well. Our maturity is built on overcoming recurring problems and attitudes.
Since I am working here with experience and not professional training, I will give you some ideas that have been helpful for me. Through the years, I find that my emotional health varies from time to time and even on such major items as faith, family, friends, work, and recreation. Therefore, I have come to expect and deal with changing emotions. Change is the given. I expect variation in my feelings about everything – therefore, when they shift I treat change as normal. This helps me relax while I work on any adjustment I feel are necessary and desirable. Change can be painful, but it is part of a healthy life and must be accepted.
A healthy mental condition will never be random, or the responsibility of someone else. We must acknowledge our role in establishing a plan, working on it, and regularly assessing.
This week think about: 1) How careful am I to accurately assess my mental health? 2) What keeps me current in my thinking? 3) What are the measures for my emotional well-being?
Words of Wisdom: “I felt obligated to assure her that if she were to run into any future problems, the same Christ who was sufficient right now would be then, as well.”
Wisdom from the Word: “For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7 NET Bible)