“Now Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more so, if by about this time tomorrow I do not make your life like the life of one of them. “And he was afraid and got up and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah; and he left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree; and he asked for himself to die, and said, “Enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” Then he lay down and fell asleep under a broom tree; but behold, there was an angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat!” And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a round loaf of bread baked on hot coals, and a pitcher of water. So, he ate and drank and lay down again. But the angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him, and said, “Arise, eat; because the journey is too long for you.” So he arose and ate and drank, and he journeyed in the strength of that food for forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.” I Kings 19:1-7 NASB)
The demon possessed man in Mark 5, the man that the Lord had to intervene, and fix, he is not by himself when it comes to the category of not being in your right mind, especially during the holiday season. Various conscious and unconscious experiences and external stimuli, as well as changes we wish never happened, things that we would rather forget, they impact many of us and we find ourselves not in our right mind. The prophet Elijah who had just depended on our dependable and definitely powerful God to bring about a great victory, an overwhelming victory over the false prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel, but now things had changed, and he is on the run, fearing for his life. Like Elijah, changes in our everyday life or at times at lack of change cause us to be in the classification of “not in our right mind.”
I’ll be transparent. For men, the Christmas season is hard to deal with every year, largely because of the impact of childhood days when the straggly tree in our house, almost not meeting the standard or acceptable criteria to be classified as a Christmas tree, had no presents under it. There were other times when there was no tree at all. The noise of children riding down the street on their new bikes and playing outside with their new toys in new clothes was a downer. And listen, remember I’m being transparent, I did not realize the lasting impact that this would have on me.
Even though, like Elijah, the Lord has given me victory over victory on a continuous basis, and in spite of the Lord using me in a mighty way over the years to show He is the only true and living God, I have to watch my mental health during the holiday season. I’m just sharing this with you because if you ever feel down during the holiday season or at any other season, you are not the only one. You are not by yourself! But I got some good news for us, and again I will share how I learned to address the matter. This is not a Monday Short, by the way. Oh, you noticed! Good1
The best way to start fighting the attacks on our mind to bring us down is summarized in one word in the text above. What is that word? The word is “Arise!” I apply that by getting up, arising early! I start being active in one form or the other, dedicating time to things that will benefit God’s kingdom and/or serve others. Really, they are both connected. I resort to things like prayer, meditation, reading God’s word, and doing something to help someone else. I “arise” and keep moving. I make sure to keep active. I abandon my downward feeling, let’s call it mild depression, or let’s be really honest and put it in the category of mental health. Let me tell you something. Even if I am the only person in the house at times, in spite of that, I am never alone. If you are a child of God, neither or you! The Lord did say that He would never leave me or forsake me, didn’t He? Let me continue. We can help ourselves! God will help us! And we can spend our time helping others.
Here’s some more that might help! I find some décor projects to do or some furniture to rearrange, even though there really is no reason to make a change and every room looks fine. God bless my wife, for she never complains. She must know that it is therapeutic. She lets the house be my canvas. Bless her soul.
There’s more! I “arise” and make a store runs (plural), go and look for “finds” at nearby thrift shops. Sometimes, I “arise” and simply look to the sky and focus on God’s creation and acts as if I can see way beyond the hills from whence our help comes. Friend, even when I find myself sitting down or laying on the bed or a couch, I may flip through channels for a short time, but I don’t stay there all day. I start reflecting on sent messages from God and how I can convey them to help some other saint. Proof? Well, I got up, followed own advice to “arise” and at 6:00 a.m. Monday morning, I started focusing on this two-part series to help others, near and far, who find themselves in a down position because of the holiday season or because of any other condition or situation, or due to life changes that bring one down. I’m praying this is not just self-therapeutic, but that it helps others who need to “arise.”
I’ll have more from this passage tomorrow, but today, keep the word “arise” in your mind and respond to it by involving yourself in some type of positive activity. This is a day that the Lord has made! Rejoice and be glad in it! Read the closing advice from the Apostle Paul. Have a better than you expected this Tuesday! Be blessed!
“ Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].” (Philippians 4:8 The Amplified Bible)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King