"Hot sweats. Heart palpitations. Trouble sleeping. My alarm is going to go off in five hours." Does this sound familiar to you? Have these feelings kept you awake all night? Was this a cycle you felt you couldn't escape?
Mental health is a topic that few like to speak of. It makes us feel uncomfortable, uncertain and uneasy, just like the symptoms it creates.
This was my experience just a couple of years ago. Anxiety was my clutch and it wanted to take control of my life. It was up to me, but I didn't know how to be in the drivers seat. Don't get me wrong, I was not diagnosing myself with having a mental health disorder, but the symptoms they displayed definitely awakened me to the reality that life is not always easy.
I began taking prescribed medication, seeking professional advice and pushing into God because 'all' I wanted was a taste of freedom. I felt uneasy because I couldn't control my environment, what people did around me or what my day to day looked like. I recognised thought patterns and habits that I didn't like. Though sometimes I could identify them, I didn't know what to do practically.
Being free from everything seemed virtually impossible. Romans chapter 8 verse 37 seemed like a dream. It reads "no in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Interestingly enough I knew I was loved but I didn't feel like much of a conqueror. I thought a conqueror is someone who is able to gain control? Be victorious? Fight? Well this was exactly it. Satan intends 'everything'for evil but God intends 'everything'for good. So though His plan was not for me to struggle, the fight and victory revealed His strength.
Strong's concordance defines conqueror as "gaining a surpassing victory", surpassing meaning incomparable and outstanding. Therefore our victory is outstanding, there isn't anything else like it. If you notice however, it doesn't actually say anything about it being easy. I believe when we grasp a true understanding of who we are, it does become easier to walk out in our victorious identity.
We need to come into alignment with Gods blueprint
Picture this; whether you believe in God or not, if someone was calling you a conqueror then wouldn't you feel more encouraged to act like one? Isn't whatever battle you're facing worth a bit of a fight?
I am not dismissing the emotions, hardship or weight of mental illness, nor am I dismissing its validity, but with Jesus 'you' can overcome. You are destined to be free. You are destined to walk victoriously. You are destined, simply because you are a child of God.
As we begin to live truly from the mindset that we are free, I feel it becomes easier to believe we are. It lightens the emotion of doubt, worry, insecurity, fear, depression and anxiety. I have begun to grasp a hold of this by truly depending on God. There are days where I feel I am going backwards, but I know that in the small steps of trust, I am moving forward into who I am created to be.
Jesus has come so that we can walk in perfect alignment with Him and who He says we are. What are you believing of your destiny?
Rebecca Bowie is a young Christian who is intentionally seeking after Gods heart and striving to love people with everything. Now living in Brisbane Australia, was formerly living in London, England. She's a full-time volunteer at Youth with a Mission.
Rebecca Bowie's previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/becki-bowie.html