Tag: depression

Finding happiness in service

Published on by lindseybiggsLeave a comment

20160404_182608It seems challenging to hold on to happiness. The amount of time and energy that has been devoted to helping people find happiness through books, websites, courses, etc. is amazing.

Lately, the understanding that happiness comes from selfless service has been coming to me with new veracity. I know this fact theoretically, but how do we make this practical right where we are in the minutiae of our day?

The other evening, I was in heartfelt prayer and I made a gratitude list of all the opportunities to serve that had come that day. Some were small like helping our son potty train. Some felt bigger like prayerfully addressing problems in Syria and North Korea. However big or small, though, creating this list opened my eyes to seeing all have countless ways we have to serve our Father-Mother God each day.

These countless ways to serve often come with opportunities to overcome the resistance which says: “I don’t want to, or I don’t feel like it, or I don’t have enough time or money or energy to help others”. These thoughts are an impostor and should be cast out! If listened to, they would keep us from fulfilling our true destiny as children of God.

I’m grateful for the endless service opportunities we have each day and wishing you a peace-filled, service-oriented life.

Repost: Deserts of the Heart

Published on by lindseybiggs

A beautiful, refreshing post. Thanks, John, for writing these ideas. 

“But what if rejoicing is the rain your life needs, in order to see the beauty bloom?”

Once you’ve lived in the desert for any stretch of time, you regard every blade of green grass and every leafy tree as some sort of small miracle. Explain to me all you like about weather patterns and geography but it will never take away my wonder at seeing fresh green grass and flowering dogwood trees…

Source: Deserts of the Heart – Read More

Clarity heals depression

Published on by lindseybiggsLeave a comment

Several years ago, I felt depressed and alone. I didn’t want my boyfriend at the time to leave my side (which of course added strain to the relationship). But one night when he had other plans, I was left alone wallowing in this deep depression.

I sat in bed crying and crying. I couldn’t go to sleep or do anything else, it seemed. I reached out in prayer (I had just been learning how to pray, although this was going to be a simple and desperate prayer).

“God, help me”.

The next moment I heard these words “you don’t have to be tempted by this.”

Well, in that instant, a light went on in consciousness. I was completely healed. I rolled over and went to sleep.

What I learned in that moment was this: thoughts of negativity (sadness, hatred, depression, etc) are unsolicited thoughts. They exist outside of us and are never within us. We can defeat them by simply recognizing who we are as the spiritual, beloved children of God.

Even though these negative thoughts seem to be prevalent, they have no actual power or life because they don’t originate in God, good (the only, true power). Through God’s help you can defeat them, like I was able to do in that moment of clarity.

Do you have an experience of spiritual, mental clarity that is meaningful to you that you’d like to share?