Scripture:
But you , man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. 1 Timothy 6:11
Lesson:
We will have times and issues that will try to rob us of our sanity. No matter what our situation, we can find the wholeness of mind that we are looking for. Now that we have hope and are continuing to be restored, how do we maintain our sanity?
S: Steady growth, not perfection, is the goal!
One way to lose our sanity is to look for perfection or expect immediate change. It takes time to overcome our hurts, hang-ups, and habits. We need to look out for all the small ways we have changed.Jesus Christ is our Higher Power! He desires a relationship with us.
A: Accept the things I cannot change
We need to remind ourselves that there are things we need to do and there are things that only God can do. When we allow God to handle the things we cannot change, we will keep our sanity.We learn to have realistic expectations of ourselves and others.
N: Notice new hurts, hang-ups, and habits, and take action
If you’ve been on your recovery journey for a while and still feel like your life is out of control, it may be that you have issues you have not dealt with yet. Until they are dealt with, they will cause us to spin out of control!We can find healing from our past, and do not have to live by our old ways any longer.
I: Invite others to help us along the way
We all must invite other people to hold us accountable and keep us on track. These people have the ability to look into our lives and see things we may not notice on our own.
T:Try to keep short accounts
While healthy people can keep us on track, unhealthy relationships can derail us. While we can’t control other people and keep them from hurting us or those we love, we can control our response. Instead of holding onto grudges, we can extend forgiveness and make amends quickly.
Y: Your higher power is on your side!
You are not alone! You have the God who created the universe on your side! The same power that Jesus used to calm the sea is the same power living inside of you!No matter what shape your life is in today, together God and you can handle it!
Application:
Looking to this world and worldly things for our peace and happiness only leads to less peace and happiness. It will ultimately lead to us losing our sanity. But the Bible tells us to take our thoughts captive and make them obedient to God. When we begin to do this every day and in every situation, it rewires our brain to help us stay calm in those stressful situations and helps us to put our trust and faith in Christ, who is our solid foundation, and not this world, which will never bring us peace, joy or sanity. Strength and courage in the name of our Lord and Savior, my friends.
