The Foundation of Recovery

This is the first post for my new blog here. The purpose of this blog is a place where I can share things that I learned in my recovery from depression and anxiety in the hope that others can find inspiration and insight that would help in their own recovery. I attend a weekly Fresh Hope peer support meeting where I attempt to encourage others that full recovery can happen. It does not happen easily. That is why much wisdom is required in order to see the path forward in life. A walk with God where thriving, in spite of the disorder, is possible for all. Having spiritual eyes to see is key. Without that I just see people remaining stuck inside their own pits created by the mental health disorder that they are afflicted with. This is the first half of the solution. The second is acquiring the discipline in order to keep doing the things necessary for actual sustained recovery. This is the basic overview of how my own recovery happened.

So what is the starting point for someone who is struggling with a mental health disorder to acquire both the vision and the discipline necessary for recovery? The starting point for me was Jesus Christ. I also see Him as the ending point. “The only thing that I have seen bring stability into people lives is a personal relationship with Jesus.” - Pastor Jason Elmore My pastor spends a lot of time counseling people. He has talked with hundreds, maybe even thousands, over the years and, because he has been in the ministry for many decades, he has heard every kind of problem that people can have. So this statement says a lot in that he has seen many people try other things, but has never seen any of them actually work. Some of these people definitely had a diagnosed mental health disorder and were wanting help with that. This real, intimate relationship with Jesus is also the primary thing I accredit my own recovery with.

What does the Bible have to see about this? Ephesians 2: 20-22, “...with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” Jesus is the cornerstone that the rest of our life is built upon. At least, this comes true when we choose to cooperate with the process. John 14:6, “Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life...'” I think most Christians interpret this as, basically, fire insurance against going to hell after death. Believe this, convert to Christianity and then your eternal life is secure. This is a truth, and I would never discount the great worth of this, but Jesus is not just talking about heaven here, but also the way, the path in this life. I see many Christians who are babes, just mere converts to Christianity, but they have not dedicated their lives on earth in practical ways to follow Jesus as Their Way. This way is a personal relationship with Jesus that has benefits both here on earth and in eternity later. He is not just a source of truth when you are confused, but He is the very definition of the word “truth.” He is more than some human guru that teaches you principals to find life. He is The Life. Jesus does more than just point to some other path that is better than the one we are on now. He is The Path. This personal relationship is everything. Jesus simply is The Answer for the struggles with any mental health challenge or, for that matter, any other serious life problem we might have.

The foundation for our hope to both recover and thrive is found in knowing Jesus ourselves. We cannot allow ourselves to be content with making some pastor or priest be our intermediary with God, because only Jesus can do this for us. For those who maintain a second or third hand relationship with Jesus, you are going to keep struggling and you will remain confused. Jesus made it plain that he wants to know us and his Apostles made it clear that we have access to God directly. The old priestly system of sacrifices being handled by a third party has been done away with and we have a new and better covenant. I do not believe that recovery for a Christian will be any better than the quality of this relationship. If you have been distant, do not despair. This is a wake up call and you can change that. God is not condemning us for our many past failures. Instead, He extends His helping hand to help us out of the ditch we find ourselves in. Take His hand, and let Him lift you up. Recovery has to start with Jesus. It also ends with Him. This is not a one time decision to be made, but it needs to become a disciplined lifestyle choice for each new day in our life. Only then can we move on to face the individual steps required to move towards full recovery. This is the foundation for recovery that worked in my own life.