May 2023 In The Know @ Paula's Hope

"IN THE KNOW" @ PAULA'S HOPE 2023

Vol. 32 May 2023 IN THE KNOW @ Paula's Hope MONTHLY INSPIRATION

Thank you to all who gave at the NWA GIVES event! We raised over $2000.00 for our ministry.
We could never do what we do without your generous support! We give God the glory and thanks for you our partners and supporters of Paula's Hope! Your generous donations will help us reach out and give people in need healing and hope through biblical counseling and education so that they can overcome and find the freedom in Christ that only He can give.

Paula's Hope Prayer Corner...

Michael Daniels, Paula's Hope Prayer Coordinator

A WORD FROM SCRIPTURE:

In Matt: 3:8 The Devil took Jesus to a high mountain and showed him the kingdoms of the world and their glory. He said to him, I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me, Jesus told him away with you Satan. You shall Worship the Lord your GOD and him only you shall serve.
Matt 28:17-20 Then the 11 disciples went to the mountain that Jesus had appointed for them when they saw Him, they worshiped Him. And Jesus came and said to them ALL AUTHORITY HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ME IN HEAVEN AND EARTH. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations (people group) teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. Jesus took back what Satan stole from Adam and gave it to us.
Luke 10:19 Behold I give you the Authority to trample on serpents/scorpions and over ALL the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Jesus works thru US to destroy the works of evil in People's lives. Read Isaiah 61:1-3

Happy Mental Health Awareness month!
Mental health is an issue that is near and dear to my heart, as it is something I struggle with on a daily basis, as well as many people I know and care about.

Some days are a fight just for survival, and the only goal is to not drown in my thoughts and feelings that are bombarding me. Some days, I'm able to rise above it and really thrive. There are a wide range of coping skills I've learned to use: rest, eating healthy foods, exercise, getting out of the house and into nature, calling a friend to vent, the list goes on. I am also on two antidepressants since they have proven to be valuable weapons in my fight. Even with all of my coping skills and tools, I still have bad days, and that's ok. The key, however, to having more of those good days has proved to be so simple that I honestly overlooked it for an embarrassingly long time - it is my walk with Jesus.
On those days that I am really struggling, I find that I often haven't made time to really worship and be in God's presence that day, or maybe for a few days. My "easy win" to steer me back in the right direction is to put on some Christian music. It's a painless way to ease into the right frame of thinking and to appreciate being in God's presence. Once I'm in that frame of mind, it is easier to pray to God, thanking Him for all He is and does. I try to make it a point to pray every day, "God, empty me of my purposes; fill me with Yours." That is a hard prayer to pray more often than not, but that'll straighten out my priorities and really allow space for God to speak.
I also wanted to share a passage that I find myself coming back to again and again on my bad mental health days - Philippians 4:4-9. I find that scripture journaling helps me to really connect with what the Bible is saying and to let God show me how He wants to use it in my life. I'll give you a glimpse below, and maybe you'll find some of it to be helpful or encouraging.

Philippians 4:4-5 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Rejoice! Scripture tells us to delight in the Lord - always. Regardless of circumstances or if we really feel like it. Any time I take time to think about the characteristics of God and how much bigger He is than me and my problems, I usually come away in awe of who He is and His plans for me. That fires me up to cheerfully follow Him and trust Him to carry me through whatever momentary issue that had seemed insurmountable just minutes before.
Have you ever really thought about gentleness? If you really think about it, gentleness is an expression of grace. A gentle answer turns away wrath (Proverbs 15:1). When we are facing an angry person, giving a little grace in the form of a gentle answer, and not the answer we perhaps think they deserve, we show them Jesus. I still need a lot of practice on this one, but with a toddler at home, thankfully I have plenty of opportunities to respond to wrath with a gentle answer. In the midst of his tantrums, a gentle word may not immediately diffuse the situation, but I can model to my son how Jesus would respond - holding the boundary while still loving the person He is correcting. I think that's why verse 5 ends with "the Lord is near." Gentleness helps us to be more in tune with Jesus' attitudes, and helps us to be His hands and feet on Earth.

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Easier said than done to just "not be anxious" when fear seems like it is always screaming at me in my head. However, my counselor and now friend, Mindy, had a great exercise to help visualize really laying my anxieties, as well as all the other heavy stuff I was carrying, at Jesus' feet.
Imagine a beautiful box at the foot of the cross - whatever appeals to you, and don't be afraid to go into detail. Mine would be lime green and covered with ladybugs, my favorite animal. It would have a heavy lid that fits just right. I kind of consider it a mailbox/trash can. In this box, I prayerfully place my worries, burdens, grief, helplessness, brokenness, distrust...the list goes on. It's like a mailbox because when I put something in there, I can't come back and take it back out. It's gone and I need to leave it that way. There is no "return to sender" - Jesus will never reject our mail! It's also a trash can sometimes because when I do some spring cleaning in my heart and mind, all of the junk gets tossed in the box too.

Philippians 4:8-9 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

The good news is that whether it is a beautiful letter that I have written (figuratively, anyway) or ugly raw garbage that I just throw in there in desperation, Jesus takes it all. Hallelujah! Each time I place something in the box, I thank Jesus for taking it away, and pray that He gives me strength to truly let go of it. He is faithful to give me that, but even better is the peace that comes when I turn over the "yuck" that is clouding up my head and my heart. There is suddenly open space for stillness, for God's presence. The more problems I lay at His feet, the more peace that fills me in their place. It really does defy all understanding, but I thank God that it does!

A side effect of freeing myself of my burdens took me by surprise - the aching emptiness. I'm still a work in progress, but now that I am making an active effort to put all of my problems in the Jesus box, I don't have as many negative feelings taking up space in my mind.

However, I don't want to fill that space back up with my usual "junk food" for my brain since those things now make me feel emptier than ever.I used to fill my empty space with social media, with food, with busyness. It never really filled me before, but it distracted me from my problems for just a little while. I finally had the breakthrough that it was the Jesus-sized hole in my life that I was feeling. I've been a believer in Christ for many years, but I hadn't ever really made room in my heart and mind for Jesus's presence to really permeate and fill every corner. I started actively filling my empty headspace and heart space with Jesus, who He is, what He has done, what He wants to tell me, what He wants me to do. It should come as no surprise that all of those things happen to be true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. That is what I needed to fill myself with all along. We've all heard of "garbage in, garbage out." That is definitely true in a sense, but I prefer "garbage out, Jesus in." Once I figured out how to put that into practice, I have been able to finally learn what God's peace feels like.
On a completely different note - I also find that personally, my physical posture has a tangible effect on how I am feeling. I tend to hunch over when I'm stressed or depressed, but if I sit up straight and take a deep breath, it's an easy win to feel better and reset my attitude. It's silly, but I have my rear view mirror in my car raised up just a little bit so that I have to sit up straight in order to fully see out my back window. It is a reminder to myself to keep my physical and mental posture in check. In a similar way, my spiritual posture has a profound effect on my mental health as well. When I'm spiritually healthy (or not), I find that my mental health is usually following suit. If I set my mind on things above, if I raise my spiritual "rear view mirror" just a little bit, I can look back on things with a godly perspective and see what has proven to be true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. When I can see those things in my rear view mirror, it gives me confidence for what lies ahead. I came to Jesus for strength and peace to see me through the hard times, and He most definitely gave those two things generously. A side effect that I didn't see coming, though, was the sheer joy of being in God's presence, hearing His voice on a regular basis, and living out His purpose in me. I am writing this as I am coming out of a slump again, but once I dove back into the deep ocean of God's love and really listened to His voice to tell me what to write, I am on fire for the Lord again and ready to move mountains.

My prayer for the people who read this article is this - that God would make His presence known to you in the valleys of your life, and that you would take steps to become healthier spiritually. This could be going to a bible study, carving out a daily quiet time, playing worship music, praying more often, scripture memory and/or journaling - whatever helps you feel closer to God and helps you hear His voice. It doesn't have to be anything big right now, especially if you're feeling overwhelmed; just take the next small step in the right direction. I pray that you will grow spiritually, even in the midst of the dark times you may be facing, and that it will have a ripple effect on your mental health and overall well-being.
Be blessed!
-Makaya Barnett
Paula's Hope Staff Volunteer