isolation

Blue's Clues

(By Lois Robinson)

The statements that I am hearing a lot of these days are:

    “Man, I am feeling so tired, down, and don’t want to do anything.”

    “I’m feeling so yucky and overweight!”

    “I just want to be left alone. I’m so tired of people and their crap!”

    “All I want to do is eat.”

    “I could sleep for two days if I was allowed!”

    “Ugh, I’m so tired of the days being so short, and the cold is annoying!”

    “I want to live someplace warm”

And the list goes on and on...

Well, we could say that the above statements are a case of not be grateful for living another day or we could say just pray about it or throw a christian-y cliche out there and insult the person. We could, and many times do, all of the above. 

But…

The above statements may be CLUES to a deeper issue going on, one that cannot be wiped away with a quick cliche that doesn’t help but serves to offend.  Some may call it a chronic case of the Blues, but the truth is, this time of year is a classic time for Seasonal Affective Disorder. It is a real condition and actually has a name! In a recent Google search, the following list popped up, and I have copied and pasted it below. Why try to reinvent the wheel and put my little spin on it. Take a look.

People with SAD have many of the normal warning signs of depression, including:

Less energy.

Trouble concentrating.

Fatigue.

Greater appetite.

Increased desire to be alone.

Greater need for sleep.

Weight gain.

I would encourage you to take an assessment of your own behaviors, especially after the holidays. That is when many people tend to dip down in their mood, especially during the winter months. In the counseling room, I get a lot of calls from people that begin experiencing increased anxiety, depression and even panic disorder during this time. That is not including the added stressor of the change of seasons to shorter days and longer nights. Isolation, increased sleep, increased eating and the tiredness that more sleep just doesn’t fix! All classic symptoms of SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder, or the Blues that won’t go away. 

If you or someone you know may be struggling with this, I would encourage you to reach out to someone you trust, maybe even call a mental health professional, a counselor that can help you sort through what you are experiencing. Usually knowing it actually has a name and is a real condition is of some comfort. Don’t stop there though. Come out of isolation and begin taking action steps that are the opposite of the downward spiral. 

For me, I will move toward people that love me and are safe. I know they love Jesus more than me so will tell me the truth for my own benefit and to see me grow. I also process my thoughts and feelings. The other thing I have just started doing is getting more active by joining the local YMCA. I have people pray for me, recognizing that Jesus knows (He really knows me and my struggles) even when I get the Blues! The last thing I will have you check out is this powerful verse:

But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. (Psalm 59:16, NIV)

These kinds of verses are found in the Bible, around the center of the book if you are looking it up.       

Though it can be very hard to actually open my mouth and verbally say or sing the above verse, it is where my ability comes from to crawl out of the dark hole. It tends to happen to most of us; it is all in how you respond. 

Be blessed friends!

 

Christmas: Jesus Came to Trade Places with Us!

(By Diego Cuartas)

A reality that is central to Christmas is that Jesus came to trade places with us.

There is a story, found in Mark 1:40-45, which tells of a man who had leprosy and was healed by Jesus. The story actually indicates that the man was labeled "unclean" because a person with leprosy, back in that society, was considered defiled and unclean. A person with leprosy was pretty much considered an outcast and was avoided by others. To touch someone with leprosy was to become unclean.

Perhaps there are things in your life that you or others consider "unclean" or undesirable to say the least. Things that make you isolate from others or hide behind some reality or behavior that helps you, in your mind, look better or more presentable to others. What is that thing you wish was not part of who you are?

So Jesus, the Son of God, enters our world, in the most humble possible way, in order to get close to the leper, close to you, and close to me. He gets so close that he is willing to "touch" what others reject in us. So in the story, Jesus touches the leper with great compassion and responds to the request the man made: "if you will, you can make me clean." Jesus addresses the man, touches the man and says "I will, be clean!." This is exactly what Jesus wants to do in your life and mine. He is close, he wants to touch the places that are broken in our lives and with great compassion wants to release the willingness and power to heal us. That is pretty close, isn't?

Have you ever been touched (impacted) by someone that deeply and that compassionately? This is one of many stories where Jesus, the humble Christmas Savior, moves towards the underserving and yet in need as he compassionately considers their condition. Where in your life would you like Jesus to touch and alter your reality?

I can't help but tell you that it gets even better! Let's recap first: Jesus came into this world. He got pretty close to the leper man. He is attentive to his request. He stretches out his hand and touches him and willingly heals the man. Boom! The guy is made clean. No more rejection. This man has been reintegrated into social life miraculously--not to mention, his sickness is gone! But there is one more thing Jesus does. Jesus asks the man keep this quiet and to fulfill the requirements expected before the town leaders. The man couldn't help it but go about telling everyone about this miraculous encounter with Jesus. As a result, Jesus is hindered from entering the town and remains in the place of the leper experiencing seclusion. 

Jesus will do the same for you! He entered this world. Came close to you in fleshly form. He is willing to touch the undesirable realities of your life. And he will even trade places with you. Well....he actually did it already, at the Cross! Learn from the rest of the people in the story. They went seeking Jesus even though he took the place of the leper. They looked for him because they learned that only such PERSON would dare to touch the "unclean"!

If he touches you, you will never be the same.

May that happen in your life this Christmas!




What's Wrong About Comparing Pain?

This week I want to draw your attention to a resource Ed Welch, faculty at CCEF, produced a few years ago. In his blog "No More Minimizing Pain", Welch help us consider the dangers of comparing our experience of pain to someone else's, and the implications that such actions can have in terms of our reliance on God. When I read his blog I thought about situations I have encountered where I felt I had to suffer in silence because someone else's pain was greater than mine, or where I felt less than considered because someone did not regard my pain as important. I believe Welche's blog is provocative and very relevant. I recommend you click here and take a few minutes to give your soul a gift.

Sincerely,

Diego Cuartas

 

Where Are Your Boundaries?

(By Diego Cuartas)

From time to time certain words draw my attention because they are not necessarily words we find explicitly in the biblical. For instance, I have never come across the word balance, as in live a well-balanced life. Or try the word boundaries, as in live with boundaries or within boundaries for your own good and the good of others. I do realize that these concepts are welcomed in some way by our American culture. I am not down on these concepts. What I want to do is from time to time come back with safeguards found in the Word of God to help us keep our understanding and practice of these concepts under check. Why keep them under check? Because something good such as boundaries could become self-serving or feed our self-focused tendencies in life. 

For today, I want to focus on a few thoughts shared by the apostle Paul to help us x-ray our understanding and implementation of personal boundaries. Romans 15:1-7 says:

We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.  Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.  For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”  For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.  May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.


Test #1: Do you use boundaries in your life to avoid “bearing with the failings of the weak”? In verses 1 and 5 Paul points us to build others up, seek their good and live in harmony with each other. Boundaries should help us reenergize so that we can re-engage community, not live in isolation.

Test #2: Do you use boundaries to “please yourself”? In verses 2 and 3 we see that Jesus set an example in terms of living a life that was not about pleasing himself. He even allowed reproaches that were aimed to his father to fall on himself. Boundaries should help us seek our well-being and the well-being of others.

Test #3: Do you lean on boundaries as your “hope” or safety in life? In verses 4 and 5 Paul affirms that God is the source of endurance and encouragement. In this context, encouragement comes to us via the revealed Word of God. Boundaries should help us realign our hope in God.

Test #4: Do your boundaries serve just you or your community at large?  Verse 5 calls us to engage community “in accord with Christ Jesus”. Verses 6 and 7 offer a picture of what happens when we live in “harmony” with others: God will be glorified by the community and we will grow in welcoming each other. Boundaries should help us offer others in our community a quality of life set by Jesus.

Stay tuned. In my next blog I hope to give an example of how I have misused boundaries in my life. I will also illustrate beautiful things that have happened when I have used boundaries well.