As Christian women, we have many balls to juggle in life. Our plans can go awry, and those balls just start tumbling. And this is when we feel the weariness and stress and think, ‘I can’t keep doing this.’ Let me encourage you, sister in Christ, to take care of your own mental and spiritual wellbeing. Here are some suggestions that might help you.
Remembering our unshakable God
Hills and mountains are unshifting things. On a fine clear day, I can see the Blue Mountains from the train as I cross the Harbour Bridge. They offer a beautiful backdrop to the landscape. But I don’t anticipate that one day, they will have moved and no longer exist. So, I find Isaiah 54:10 curious.
Being resilient when we are depleted
A pretty bleak picture is painted in Isaiah 29:8. Hunger and thirst, restless nights filled with vivid dreams, and awakening feeling depleted and weary. After two years of living in a pandemic, I read these verses and think that they capture something of our collective weariness.
A roadmap for the soul
The arterial roads in Massachusetts are infamous for their short onramps and thundering speeds. When I lived there a few years ago, I became skilled at slamming the accelerator before I was sure the way was clear, rapidly glancing over my (left) shoulder and hovering over the brake in anticipation of a car appearing from nowhere, which would likely be travelling at least 10 miles above the limit.
The scent of water
Yesterday I smelt water. It rained and as the rain drops touched the ground, a gentle scent arose. The scent of water. Being a city dweller, this is not a smell I think about much. But I remember being with a farmer as he stood in a dry paddock and said he could smell rain coming.
How to persevere when your resilient doughnut is mouldy
Mary spent most of her working life as a school counsellor and made use of a tool to teach resilience to parents and children called “The Resilient Doughnut”. One of the wonderful things about this doughnut model is its positive focus. Around the doughnut are a range of factors that impact our resilience and people are drawn to look at what is working in their lives.
When our world shakes: Six ways to respond to COVID-19
Recent times have brought significant challenges to many within the Australian community. Drought, bushfires, severe storms have each taken their toll. And now there is the coronavirus. While certain words – catastrophic, unprecedented – have almost become clichés, the reality is that every one of us is being affected, often in ways we’ve never before experienced.
Lyn’s story
Lyn is a clinical psychologist and a Christian. Lyn describes the types of issues that her clients come to see her for help. Her approach looks at how to help build a person’s resilience. She believes that the Christian faith and Christian communities have an enormous amount to offer.
