This is the bin. You have the option to use it or not. The idea is to throw into the bin stuff that is standing between you and your healing.
It isn't about believing IF God exists or not, it’s about BELIEVING God, and that’s the most difficult. God says, "Come back and quietly trust in me. Then you will be strong and secure. But you refuse to do it" Isaiah 30:15. If you are struggling with spiritual stuff then you know that someone is UP THERE, but can we trust what He says? And why, why, why does He allow so much bad stuff? Why did He allow you to be sexually abused? Does He just not care? How do we make sense out of everything?
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This Weeks Bible Study...Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
The Beatitudes
Matthew 5:4
Our Lord does not present the Beatitudes in a random manner, everyone was carefully and prayerfully thought through by our Lord and given a precise place in the spiritual sequence. Last week we saw that the poor in spirit are favoured by God. The kingdom of heaven is for people who are broken, depressed sinners. People who really need God. Once we see that entrance into the kingdom of God is through acknowledgement of our spiritual poverty and the acceptance of Christ’s resources then we are ready to go on and consider the next Beatitude.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Matthew 5:4
At first glance the second Beatitude seems somewhat strange and difficult to understand. How can someone who mourns be contented and blessed? Most commentators say that what Jesus is pointing out here is the need to mourn over our sin, to face up to the pain it causes us, and then to find comfort in Christ. But, did our Lord have something else in mind as well as this? Such as the need to face, feel and process the pain that arises within us when we meet with difficult and distressing circumstances. Mourning is the process of grieving, and grieving involves coming to terms with loss and all its attendant emotions. Our unwillingness to face the pain that comes from our losses and the hurts and injuries that occur in our lives, and mourn because of them, is one of the major causes of psychological problems. Reality must be faced. A famous psychiatrist once said, "People can’t take too much reality so they run down the convenient road of denial. And that road is a crowded highway. I should know because that is where I have to travel to find most of my patients." Being willing to accept that life is difficult will save us from unrealistic expectations which can trigger stress and even depression. Then, when troubles come, we are not surprised, but face reality in the confidence that no matter what happens to us, God will turn it to good. (Taken from Every Day With Jesus, The Blessed Life, 15 July)
Pain is temporary but denial and its consequences are forever!
When we look at life with a realistic gaze we see grim and depressing things happening around us. There are, of course, many good things that happen to people, too, but we must not blind our eyes to the bad things that occur and thus deny reality. We don’t have to become preoccupied with the sad things by constantly thinking about them, but we do have to accept that they happened. Integrity requires that whatever is true must be faced. (Taken from Every Day With Jesus, The Blessed Life, 16 July)
When an emotion arises within us which we know is unacceptable and is likely, if it continues, to mar our spiritual experience, we must not pretend it is not there. We must acknowledge it. However, it is important that we do not dump that emotion onto another person. You do not need to express an emotion to deal with it effectively, but you must acknowledge it. All we have to do is to yield to the Spirit. He will help us keep our emotions in check. Our Lord does not want us to be mastered by our emotions but to draw upon His power so that we remain in the position of mastery. When our stomachs are churning with grief, sorrow or hurt, instead of pretending that we are not feeling the pain, we should come before the Lord with a prayer something like this: "Lord, right now I am hurting so much I do not think I can endure it. I feel like screaming, running away or even hitting someone. I don’t want to feel like this, Lord, but I do. Thank you for loving me as I am. Help me know to handle my feelings in a way that glorifies You and honours Your name." In this way you have not denied your emotions but have opened them up to the Lord and asked for His help. Not pretending, but being real and honest in His presence, is part of the mourning process. (Taken from Every Day With Jesus, The Blessed Life, 18-19 July)
So how can someone who mourns be happy and blessed, the answer: God’s comfort cannot fully reach us until we are real people. Those who pretend they are not hurting when they are make it difficult (perhaps even impossible) for God to pour His comfort into their souls. Their pretence forms a barrier that a God who respects human freedom will not break down. Facing and being willing to feel the negative emotions of loss, grief and hurt, may not be something that excites us, but it is essential if we are to experience the emotional, mental and spiritual health we were made to enjoy. When we are willing to feel the hurt, acknowledge our emotions, and ask for God’s help, then something glorious and transformative happens – we experience deep in our souls the incredibly powerful and all-embracing comfort of our Lord. (Taken from Every Day With Jesus, The Blessed Life, 20 July)
Father, may I be willing to accept this second prescription for happiness. Please help me to take my "medicine" until I am completely whole and can be a blessing to others. In Jesus’ name. Amen. (Prayer from Every Day With Jesus, The Blessed Life, 20 July)
Matthew 5:4
Our Lord does not present the Beatitudes in a random manner, everyone was carefully and prayerfully thought through by our Lord and given a precise place in the spiritual sequence. Last week we saw that the poor in spirit are favoured by God. The kingdom of heaven is for people who are broken, depressed sinners. People who really need God. Once we see that entrance into the kingdom of God is through acknowledgement of our spiritual poverty and the acceptance of Christ’s resources then we are ready to go on and consider the next Beatitude.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Matthew 5:4
At first glance the second Beatitude seems somewhat strange and difficult to understand. How can someone who mourns be contented and blessed? Most commentators say that what Jesus is pointing out here is the need to mourn over our sin, to face up to the pain it causes us, and then to find comfort in Christ. But, did our Lord have something else in mind as well as this? Such as the need to face, feel and process the pain that arises within us when we meet with difficult and distressing circumstances. Mourning is the process of grieving, and grieving involves coming to terms with loss and all its attendant emotions. Our unwillingness to face the pain that comes from our losses and the hurts and injuries that occur in our lives, and mourn because of them, is one of the major causes of psychological problems. Reality must be faced. A famous psychiatrist once said, "People can’t take too much reality so they run down the convenient road of denial. And that road is a crowded highway. I should know because that is where I have to travel to find most of my patients." Being willing to accept that life is difficult will save us from unrealistic expectations which can trigger stress and even depression. Then, when troubles come, we are not surprised, but face reality in the confidence that no matter what happens to us, God will turn it to good. (Taken from Every Day With Jesus, The Blessed Life, 15 July)
Pain is temporary but denial and its consequences are forever!
When we look at life with a realistic gaze we see grim and depressing things happening around us. There are, of course, many good things that happen to people, too, but we must not blind our eyes to the bad things that occur and thus deny reality. We don’t have to become preoccupied with the sad things by constantly thinking about them, but we do have to accept that they happened. Integrity requires that whatever is true must be faced. (Taken from Every Day With Jesus, The Blessed Life, 16 July)
When an emotion arises within us which we know is unacceptable and is likely, if it continues, to mar our spiritual experience, we must not pretend it is not there. We must acknowledge it. However, it is important that we do not dump that emotion onto another person. You do not need to express an emotion to deal with it effectively, but you must acknowledge it. All we have to do is to yield to the Spirit. He will help us keep our emotions in check. Our Lord does not want us to be mastered by our emotions but to draw upon His power so that we remain in the position of mastery. When our stomachs are churning with grief, sorrow or hurt, instead of pretending that we are not feeling the pain, we should come before the Lord with a prayer something like this: "Lord, right now I am hurting so much I do not think I can endure it. I feel like screaming, running away or even hitting someone. I don’t want to feel like this, Lord, but I do. Thank you for loving me as I am. Help me know to handle my feelings in a way that glorifies You and honours Your name." In this way you have not denied your emotions but have opened them up to the Lord and asked for His help. Not pretending, but being real and honest in His presence, is part of the mourning process. (Taken from Every Day With Jesus, The Blessed Life, 18-19 July)
So how can someone who mourns be happy and blessed, the answer: God’s comfort cannot fully reach us until we are real people. Those who pretend they are not hurting when they are make it difficult (perhaps even impossible) for God to pour His comfort into their souls. Their pretence forms a barrier that a God who respects human freedom will not break down. Facing and being willing to feel the negative emotions of loss, grief and hurt, may not be something that excites us, but it is essential if we are to experience the emotional, mental and spiritual health we were made to enjoy. When we are willing to feel the hurt, acknowledge our emotions, and ask for God’s help, then something glorious and transformative happens – we experience deep in our souls the incredibly powerful and all-embracing comfort of our Lord. (Taken from Every Day With Jesus, The Blessed Life, 20 July)
Father, may I be willing to accept this second prescription for happiness. Please help me to take my "medicine" until I am completely whole and can be a blessing to others. In Jesus’ name. Amen. (Prayer from Every Day With Jesus, The Blessed Life, 20 July)
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