So as we know, my best thoughts come to me in the shower or while running. Neither conducive to "jotting it down." I'll do my best to portray what came through my mind on a quiet morning run.
I was thinking of someone and their struggle with mental illness. As you may have read previously, I have battled - and still do- with depression. But we handle things a great deal differently. As I thought about their post, I thought of something to say, but no words came. Not until, that is, I was running. She had recently begun working out and I thought, "I should ask how her workouts are going." Wait. Huh? How did you jump from mental illness to going to the gym? Here's how: When you think about it, mental illness is often caused by an unbalance in the chemical makeup of the brain. Something is too high, something else too low, now we need to balance you out. There are plenty of drugs on the market that try to level us out, aren't there? For me, fitness helped a great deal. Pump those endorphins through my veins!! It helps for many of us that have depression and an unbalance. Then I really got to thinking. Mental illness does not just affect the brain. It is not just something that makes people crazy (well, maybe some). Mental illnesses throw us off mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. We have to fix ourselves in all areas of life, not just the brain and what we think. It takes one thought - Jewel, you are so stupid. You left that cup on the car and now it's gone. Way to go. Lost your cup. You're an idiot - and now we're off on a different path. Frustrated, confused, angry, incapable, unworthy, and just plain lousy. We can't let that one thought get into the rest of our being. Physically we don't want to go anywhere or do anything. We get stressed and anxious. Soon we believe that we aren't worthy of the calling set before us, just because we left the cup on the back of the car and now it is lost to the world. (FYI, we remembered afterwards, my handsome 6 year old put the cup there, not me. Phew.) So how do we attack? Pump the pills? Meh. Pump the iron? Oooh. Regulate some of those chemicals with your own bodies ability to produce them. But here's what else happens. When we are down and out, we don't treat ourselves correctly. We eat junk and binge watch Scrubs. One trip to the gym, or out for a run, and it's more than just the chemicals. Now we feel accomplished. We did something productive for ourselves. We did it when we really didn't want to. We did it. And ya know what, we didn't do half bad. Next time we'll push harder. The emotions change. Stupid, lost, and angry are losing out. You know what they lose to? Joy. Mmm. Joy. What a great word. We also have a little bit of peace within ourselves when our bodies, and more importantly our minds, get back to order. Wait, joy and peace. I've heard those together before. The fruit of the Spirit. Yes, physical activity can get us back with the Holy Spirit. And then we realize that the Holy Spirit is fighting back within us against the powers of depression and anxiety and we begin to have a little more of that power Paul is always talking about. It made me think of the fruit of the Spirit. In case you missed elementary verbs I want you to grab this. Gal 5:22 - But the fruit of the Spirit is... Did you see it? One fruit. In this one fruit you have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. It's easy to think of an apple isn't it? Love, joy, peace, faithfulness are the flesh of the apple. So sweet and tasty. Goodness and kindness the skin. Easy to see and shine up quickly before eating. Gentleness is the stem, sure it's there and helps us, but once it falls from the tree we don't really think about it. Patience and self control seem to be the core. Those seeds are great for planting, but we never eat them! (I joke, I kid. Just a little fun). So as we encounter this fruit of the Spirit, we do in fact have a little more steam to fight that depression. I'm not saying that exercise will fix it all. I am saying that it helps. I have found that when we fight battles of the mind, we must sometimes provide a sneak attack. The Native Americans would encircle their victims. We must do that within the mind's fight. We attack the mental in areas that are affected. Physical, spiritual, and emotional. Go for a run. Pray, and seek prayer. Do things that you know will be fun, and even though it is just a temporary emotion, it will indeed regroup the mind. I know that I can't change the balance sitting on my couch. And I know that I won't ever truly be mentally balanced until the days of heaven, but I know that I can surround it and attack it with as much force as it attacks me. And I will take the Holy Spirit with me as we fight together. Battles come and go, but I know the war is already won.
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May 2023
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