BREATHE

Galatians 6: tells us, "In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry."  At first blink, it looks like a caution against anger; "DON'T EVER BE ANGRY YOU NASTY SINNER!"   After a couple seconds, though, it looks different. It IS a cautionary statement, but also an acknowledgment that anger is natural.  We all get angry; it's what we do with anger that matters -- to us, to God, to those we love, and those around us. I have a friend, call him Nathan.  He is kind, passionate about his friends and loved ones, a great listener, caring, and giving -- would give the shirt from his own body to help someone in need.  Nathan is in jail right now after he tried to help a friend. In the process of trying to rescue his friend from a crack house, his anger reached its boiling point, and he broke the jaw of a "bad guy." Unfortunately, even though the crack dealer (bad guy) wouldn't dare press charges for fear his occupation...

Come quickly, L ORD , and answer me, for my depression deepens. Don't turn away from me, or I will die (Psalm 143:7). When I was trapped in what I thought of as the “quicksand” of depression, a friend invited me to take comfort in Psalm 143. She thought I might identify with David who was also in a deep state of despair at that time he wrote the Psalm. Unfortunately, when I was up to my eyeballs in the “quicksand” of depression, I found it impossible to see clearly. What I saw in the Psalm was a healthy (even robust) man, surrounded by people who loved and respected him enough to help him hide from a KING. I saw David as a guy, enduring (or enjoying) adventure and intrigue. David's life was a pony ride compared to my (feeling-sorry-for-self) life of unbearable nerve pain, imprisonment in my home, and heart-breaking loneliness. Depression shifted my focus inward and the more I looked at ME, the more pain and depression I felt. When I tried to look outsid...

Just breathe. Inhale...exhale. Deep breaths; you can do it. What if you can't? What if the pain, pressure, anger, depression, and/or anxiety is so intense that it feels like a headstone has fallen on your chest, and the weight of it has you pinned -- immovable. Breathe...just breathe. Emotions are powerful. They can be empowering when used for good, but destructive when they take control.  I have a friend, let's call her Annabelle. Her anxiety over her  adult  children is so high that she endures panic attacks when her son doesn't call every few hours. John, on the other hand, has the attitude that his children, "were a gift from God. He entrusted them to me during their formative years; now I have to trust my [adult] children to make good choices and live productive lives." John says that he avoids anxiety by trusting God and by realizing that worry is not productive. So, how do you STOP powerful emotions like anxiety, panic, even pain when th...