Readings for today: Psalms 42-43, Acts 24
Recently, our awareness of the importance of mental health has been elevated by some of the top athletes in the world. It began with Naomi Osaka, the number one female tennis player in the world, skipping the French Open press conferences to take care of herself. It was highlighted again during the Olympics by arguably the greatest gymnast of all time, Simone Biles, withdrawing from both team and individual competitions. It reminded us of Michael Phelps and his struggles once he left the Olympic stage. This has sparked a conversation that is spreading rapidly as more and more athletes open up about their personal struggles to deal with the pressure that comes with competing at an elite level. This is not new, of course, but the openness to actually talking about it is new. The vulnerability displayed by these athletes is both courageous and inspiring and hopefully will lead to some necessary changes moving forward. Elite athletes are human beings just like all of us. They are subject to the same fears and anxieties that we all suffer from. Rather than dismiss their concerns or critique their decisions, we should thank them for casting a spotlight on what is rapidly - according to mental health professionals across the country - another, albeit more hidden, pandemic. Depression rates have tripled over the last year. Substance abuse rates have skyrocketed. More and more adults are reporting struggles with anxiety disorders. And we have yet to see the crest of the tide. Many of us are just beginning to come to grips with the losses we’ve suffered over the past year. Many of us are in the early stages of grief and are trying to find ways to cope even as coronavirus cases begin to rise and the specter of re-instated mandates loom. Many of us are teetering on the edge of burnout and feel like we cannot open up to those around us. As the tidal wave builds, I expect it to cost people jobs, churches, friendships, marriages, and families. In short, all we hold dear. So where do go for help?
As always, we turn to the Lord. I love how the Psalmist describes his own struggle with anxiety and fear in today’s reading…
“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” We are living through a spiritual drought of historic proportions. We continue to turn to cracked cisterns of our own making rather than to the well of Living Water. The thirst we are feeling arises from the very depths of our being and can only be quenched by God Himself.
“When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” How many of us are tossing and turning at night? How many of us are struggling to sleep? Struggling to rest? Struggling to find peace? How many of us are wrestling with demons that threaten to overwhelm? How many of us are turning to alcohol or opioids or marijuana to calm our fears?
“These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival.” Perhaps we can all look back and remember a more joyful time? A time when we seemed happy? Things seemed good? Maybe life was going great pre-pandemic and COVID has utterly wrecked whatever dreams you may have had? Maybe it’s been a long time since you felt safe and secure and like you could come into the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise?
The Psalmist gives us a prescription for our pain. Medicine for our mental health. Listen closely to what he says…
“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me. By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. I say to God, my rock: “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” As with a deadly wound in my bones, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”
The Psalmist teaches us to do three things when we feel anxious and afraid. First, we remember. We remember the good things God has done. We remember what God has done for His people throughout history. How God met them in places like Jordan and Hermon. Second, we remember God’s character. He is a God of steadfast love and faithfulness. He walks beside us by day. He stands guard over us by night. He will never leave us nor forsake us. Third and finally, we engage in the act of praise. We praise God in both good times and bad. We praise God when the skies are clear or in the midst of the storm. We praise God when we feel great and we praise God when we feel weak. We praise God when we feel deeply connected to Him and we praise God when we feel like He’s distant or has forgotten us. The act of praise literally lifts our hearts. The act of praise re-orients our thoughts. The act of praise releases dopamine in the brain which provides a strong antidote to the anxiety we may be feeling.
Friends, it’s okay to not be okay. It’s okay to feel weak, fragile, and vulnerable. It’s okay to not have it altogether. It’s okay to admit you need help. God is with you. He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. He loves you with an everlasting love. And He has surrounded you with people and resources for help when you find yourself in need. Come to the well of Living Water and let Christ quench your thirsty soul.
Readings for tomorrow: Psalms 44-46, Acts 25