What I Learned in the Battle
We all face battles, don’t we? Some of our own making if we make a bad decision and we have to sit in the consequences. But for most of us, we may find ourselves in battles of disease, changing relationship dynamics, or attacks on our mental health.
Throughout most recent years, I have found myself in a battle. To be completely real, it has been a battle for life. I’m not trying to be extreme here, but rather real. I need real. This world needs real.
Anxiety and depression are real.
In the battle to regain control over my mental health, I have learned many things. Here are my top contenders.
I have what it takes to fight.
As a daughter of God, I am equipped for battle. Not immune to it. We read numerous times in Scripture about the enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion waiting to attack. This is not meant to scare us, but perhaps to prepare us.
1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV - Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
As Christians, the enemy hates us. He doesn’t like our devotion to God, and he wants more than anything to squeeze himself just enough into our lives so that we will start to watch everything unravel as we fall further away from God. He is both cunning and deceiving.
The good news is the fact that God prepares us for the battle. How? I’m so glad you asked. In Ephesians 6, we find the armor God recommends for us. Though we aren’t literally walking out of our house in full armored gear (kudos if you do!), knowing how to be prepared shows that we have what it takes to fight.
Ephesians 6:13-17 NIV - Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Give yourself grace.
My counselor said it on day one and it’s been a constant daily reminder for me, over 365 days later. It’s a must that we have grace for ourselves and show kindness to ourselves before we can then share it with others. We will all encounter difficult people and circumstances every day. Our own tanks need to be full before others start depleting our gas.
Showing ourselves kindness is important. Take time to delve into your favorite book, a hot bath, or a ride around town with the windows down. The point is that it is important to care for ourselves.
We weren’t meant to carry the weight of the whole world. We weren’t meant to field all the responsibilities and tasks on our own. It’s not up to us to fix all of the things. God created each of us unique. He wants us to love ourselves and be proud of ourselves for what we accomplish.
I am enough, just as I am.
It may seem redundant, but amidst the battle, I finally started to see myself the way God meant for me. That to simply be me, is all that God wants.
I have reached a point in the healing journey in which I’m not afraid to talk about the battle. I’m not ashamed of the struggles because I know that God has been using them to grow me.
For anyone walking through a battle right now, know you are not alone. It may feel like it, but you are not. God is closer than you think and despite the fact that we feel like we are strong-willed, independent women, and men, we need God. We don’t have to be thankful for whatever not ideal circumstances we may be walking through, we must be thankful while in it. This season will soon end. It will not last forever. The sun will eventually rise. The leaves will eventually bloom out again. The rain will eventually cease. Who will we be then? Thankful people, I hope.
I don’t know about you, but I am continuing to strap on my boots for battle. Every single day. I’m praying for gratitude. In everything. And I’m embracing the woman God intended for me to be. Join me. You won’t regret the shift.
If you’d like a good book, besides the Bible, click here for a link to Susie Larson’s latest - Strong in Battle: Why the Humble Will Prevail. I think it will encourage you, much like it has done for me. Here’s a short excerpt.
“God has done a stunning work in you. He’s used every trial, collected every tear, moved on every prayer, and multiplied every seed you’ve sown in faith. Though you’ve felt at times you were on your own, fighting for inches, you’ve gained miles in the spiritual realm. You’re stronger than you feel because Christ is boldly and bravely alive in you!
God sees all that’s happening upon the earth today. He sees every heart and knows why people do the things they do. He’s been as close as your very breath each time you bowed your head and prayed for the burdens of your heart. He loves the way you care for your family and for the world in which they live. He’s never missed a moment with you. He’s heard every single prayer and will one day soon pour out His Spirit so powerfully, so precisely, it will take your breath away.
Keep your heart constantly before Him, pure and holy, faithful and true. Guard diligently against toxic, defeating, betraying, and fearful thoughts. Those things don’t belong in the kingdom, and they don’t belong in you. Rise up and believe Him, this very hour! He is about to do great things in our midst. Jesus loves you with so much love that you could never contain it in that little body of yours!”
