Ironically, on the heels of my last post, today I covered this material with my youngest who is in 7th grade. It is a good time to get a handle on right thinking.
We all go through periods of feeling anxious or depressed; even in the Bible these things are addressed. Why? Because human beings aren't any different than the earliest of times. For some reason though, in modern culture, we've made it an epidemic and people over analyze what is going on rather than just continuing to work and take care of the things they need to take care of.
Due to the psychological movement taking such root in our day, I propose that nouthetic (Bible based) counseling is superior to all other forms of counseling. It addresses man's problems with scripture and helps us think rightly, which is the root problem of the majority of people's woes. Wrong thinking can take a perfectly fine day and turn it in to the worst day ever. Wrong thinking uproots what was once our 'steady'. How we think determines who we are.
Here are a few questions and the answers from our book...cut and dry, yet in this day it is a crisis when someone is dealing with anxiety or depression. We keep applying band aids and seldom address the core of the matter.
-What does panic mean? unreasoning fear
The cure for this is to look to God's word about faith and understanding that faith is the opposite of fear, as is love.
-What is a physical cause for worry? Fatigue
How many of us don't get quality sleep, meaning sleep that starts before midnight? How many parents have allowed their teens to stay up late, causing an unhealthy lifestyle habit as they've grown, leading to or certainly aiding emotional problems?
-When you are depressed, with whom are you angry? yourself
Yes, depression is anger turned inward. A good study on forgiveness can help some people whose depression is due in part to not handling anger biblically.
-With what attitude can depression not coexist? gratitude
Start your day being grateful and you will not fall in to focusing on what you don't have, which is one problem with people whose disappointments turn to depression.
-Why is it important to learn self-discipline when you are young? Every great accomplishment requires self discipline. The more of this you learn, the more rewarding your life will be.
This in a nutshell explains why so many adults end up depressed. They live ineffective lives for years, not embracing the work God has given them, rather they resent it and often dwell on feeling unappreciated. Then life continues and their lazy habits catch up with them. The years of criticizing why we as people should work, and work hard, suddenly take on new meaning, and they are angry at them self for wasting their life. Well, this is a sad reality friends. I don't mean to sound cold and unfeeling. I care and because of that care I write, but not to coddle, which only keeps people ineffectual. I pray someone who needs a reality check stumbles upon this.
For those who have wasted much of life, do the only thing one can do in these situations. Repent of the time wasted, accept it wasn't what God would have wanted, and make new decisions going forward. He brings beauty from ashes. He is always interested in our striving to bring Him honor and glory.
-Of what value are chores for your future life? Learning how to work prepares you for adult life
Mothers, don't set your kids up to have the same problems you have. Make them go to bed early, get up early, work hard, and not have privileges if they don't apply themselves to the tasks given them. School is important, not just for cultivating the mind, but for the discipline it teaches. As Latin develops a student's mind in many unseen areas, so a rigorous school life develops a child's self-discipline, which will lead to a more fulfilling life.
Depression is scary, and it is sad, but we have to realize it is often the result of poor choices. We need to transform our thinking according to God's word to get our thinking straight. For a person who can't have this happen, there is likely a medical condition that may not be able to be 'fixed' well. But rooting out a lack of faith or a sin problem is the first step to take.
We all go through periods of feeling anxious or depressed; even in the Bible these things are addressed. Why? Because human beings aren't any different than the earliest of times. For some reason though, in modern culture, we've made it an epidemic and people over analyze what is going on rather than just continuing to work and take care of the things they need to take care of.
Due to the psychological movement taking such root in our day, I propose that nouthetic (Bible based) counseling is superior to all other forms of counseling. It addresses man's problems with scripture and helps us think rightly, which is the root problem of the majority of people's woes. Wrong thinking can take a perfectly fine day and turn it in to the worst day ever. Wrong thinking uproots what was once our 'steady'. How we think determines who we are.
Here are a few questions and the answers from our book...cut and dry, yet in this day it is a crisis when someone is dealing with anxiety or depression. We keep applying band aids and seldom address the core of the matter.
-What does panic mean? unreasoning fear
The cure for this is to look to God's word about faith and understanding that faith is the opposite of fear, as is love.
-What is a physical cause for worry? Fatigue
How many of us don't get quality sleep, meaning sleep that starts before midnight? How many parents have allowed their teens to stay up late, causing an unhealthy lifestyle habit as they've grown, leading to or certainly aiding emotional problems?
-When you are depressed, with whom are you angry? yourself
Yes, depression is anger turned inward. A good study on forgiveness can help some people whose depression is due in part to not handling anger biblically.
-With what attitude can depression not coexist? gratitude
Start your day being grateful and you will not fall in to focusing on what you don't have, which is one problem with people whose disappointments turn to depression.
-Why is it important to learn self-discipline when you are young? Every great accomplishment requires self discipline. The more of this you learn, the more rewarding your life will be.
This in a nutshell explains why so many adults end up depressed. They live ineffective lives for years, not embracing the work God has given them, rather they resent it and often dwell on feeling unappreciated. Then life continues and their lazy habits catch up with them. The years of criticizing why we as people should work, and work hard, suddenly take on new meaning, and they are angry at them self for wasting their life. Well, this is a sad reality friends. I don't mean to sound cold and unfeeling. I care and because of that care I write, but not to coddle, which only keeps people ineffectual. I pray someone who needs a reality check stumbles upon this.
For those who have wasted much of life, do the only thing one can do in these situations. Repent of the time wasted, accept it wasn't what God would have wanted, and make new decisions going forward. He brings beauty from ashes. He is always interested in our striving to bring Him honor and glory.
-Of what value are chores for your future life? Learning how to work prepares you for adult life
Mothers, don't set your kids up to have the same problems you have. Make them go to bed early, get up early, work hard, and not have privileges if they don't apply themselves to the tasks given them. School is important, not just for cultivating the mind, but for the discipline it teaches. As Latin develops a student's mind in many unseen areas, so a rigorous school life develops a child's self-discipline, which will lead to a more fulfilling life.
Depression is scary, and it is sad, but we have to realize it is often the result of poor choices. We need to transform our thinking according to God's word to get our thinking straight. For a person who can't have this happen, there is likely a medical condition that may not be able to be 'fixed' well. But rooting out a lack of faith or a sin problem is the first step to take.
No comments:
Post a Comment