Tag Archives: faith

Christ, the regulator

In this post, I want to introduce Jesus as a regulator.  

Because He regulates your emotions and nervous system. 

Mental illness comes along with emotions that are dysregulated. You can feel overwhelmed or like you’re living on an emotional rollercoaster. While going through mental illness, you rarely feel at peace. This makes it easy to be carried away by overwhelming thoughts and emotions. 

A biblical story that aligns with this characteristic of Christ is Peter sinking in the water (Matthew 14:22-33). The disciples were in a boat, and Jesus was walking on the lake towards them. First, the disciples were scared and cried out: “It’s a ghost.” Jesus answered: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then Peter stepped out of the water towards Jesus, but started to get afraid because of the wind. He started to sink and cried out to Jesus.

‘Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt? (verse 31).’ The story ends with the wind dying down. 

Can you resonate with these disciples? 

Do you feel fear during your mental suffering? 

Does it seem like you are sinking in your mental battles? 

I want to zoom in on the Lord’s response to Peter’s situation. Peter started to sink and, in his distress, cried out to Jesus. 

Immediately, the Lord reached out to him and grabbed Him. 

Jesus regulated Peter’s emotions by His presence (physically reaching out to him and grabbing him) and His word (His comforting words). 

This is exactly how Jesus responds to you when you cry out to Him in your emotional distress. 

He will respond immediately to your cry. 

He will regulate your emotions by relativizing for you. 

He will regulate you with His presence and His word.   

He will grab you out of your emotional distress by showing you a way out (a few examples could be going for a walk or doing breathing exercises). 

You’ll leave His presence better than the way you entered it.

In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul. – Psalm 94:19 

For better or for worse

I try not to put too much emphasis on whether the Lord will completely heal you on this side of eternity. This is because of two reasons:

  1. I am not 100% certain if you will receive your complete healing on this side of eternity 
  2. Even if He heals you, I am 100% certain that there will be another area in your life that will cause you distress. 

Not because the Lord is cruel, but because suffering is part of life here on earth. 

The Lord wants you to sustain your faith in the difficulties of life so that you won’t lose your salvation. 

In the Western world, the gospel is often misinterpreted. There is a version of the gospel preached that the Lord is some genie that only promises good things when you give your life to Him. 

This is simply not true. 

The gospel is about the King of kings, your Maker, being next to you while you do life (Psalms 16:8). 

When life hits you with something you never saw coming, your Maker is by your side. 

When you find yourself in a pit with a depth you never could imagine, He is with you (Isaiah 43:2). 

Life will hit you with trials, and Christ will be by your side if you let Him. Every trial, He is standing with open arms (1 Corinthians 16:23), and it is your decision if you let Him be Lord while you’re suffering.

See, because you decide the level of intimacy you have with the Lord. 

Whenever you go through suffering, you have two choices: be mad at the Lord and go through suffering without Him. Or collapse in His arms and experience for yourself the Lord you serve. 

One that does not want you to lose intimacy with Him due to temporary suffering. One that doesn’t want you to lose your salvation due to suffering that is only fleeting. One that wants to sustain you through suffering that is nothing compared to the joy that awaits us in heaven. 

Maybe life is not about what God will give you on this side of eternity. Maybe life is about a commitment to intimacy with Him, for better or for worse. 

Recharge in His presence

I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. – psalm 121:1-2 

People often acknowledge the strength that has been portrayed through my life . It takes a lot of strength to carry yourself through mental suffering. To find the strength to maintain yourself in your recovery journey, and to participate in daily activities. 

In this post I want to share where I found the strength the past few years: in His presence. You need to learn to recharge yourself in His presence. See yourself as a battery and his presence as a charger. Stay in His presence until you feel strengthened enough. During tough seasons I found myself days following each other abiding in his presence. 

There are different ways to spend time in the presence of the Lord. I achieve this by listening to worship. Other people achieve this by spending time in complete silence, and focusing on the Lord. Another option is through prayer. Your relationship with the Lord should be personal and in that you’ll find what is best in your communication with Him. 

Whenever you feel worn out by your mental battles, I encourage you to spend time in his presence and let him recharge you. Ask the Lord to strengthen you and see how He will show up. He will strengthen you in such a way that you’ll look back to seasons in your life and will be amazed by the strength you had. 

I want you to remember that you’re never alone, you can acknowledge His presence at any time of the day. And He will give you the strength you need. 

Don’t give up, 

Christ and I are rooting for you. 

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