A danger I don’t want to be confused by here is the temptation to save God. I recognize I have dabbled there. But, I am not saving God. The agenda here is not to prove or disprove, to champion Her, or to drag any of us through the cutting edge of knowledge on dark matter.
How much I get out of having God in psychiatry is all about me. It’s good for me, my psyche and my self care. I like who I am through the eyes of God, who is and who is personal. I like what it does to me and my relationships. This is how I see God in my life – home, biology, work, disaster, accident, gardening.
She cannot be quantified. If you can imagine it, God may be that and more.
If I were a plumber, than God would be in plumbing for me. It just so turns out that I am professionally, a psychiatrist.
Most people whom I’ve heard speak about God don’t have much that I want. God did not employ them, from my perspective, any more than He did to me in mine. Or the opposite is just as true. She did.
Rob the pastor needs to do what is best for Rob. Instead, I hear Rob turfing off the disappointments in his life on God.
Why do I do it, bring God into my self-care? Because I want to. Embracing that there is more knowledge than there is now in humanity, is part of Her and my relationship.
Question: What do you want? Why do you include or disclude God from your self-care? Please speak! It’s healthy for you. It’s healthy for me. Keep on.
Self-care Tip: Don’t save God. Start with Me.
I use God in everything. I do it because I have tried to do it on my own and failed. Because there is something infinitely comforting about knowing and believing that there is someone who loves me inspire of myself. I choose to see God in the world around me because it helps me to heal. Even in the worst trials (which, by the way, I do not believe he causes), I have found blessings. Because of my past, I have been given strength to heal. Because of abuse, I have not abused my own children. Because of horrible things, I have made myself into someone that is not horrible. God does not take away anyones free agency to act. As much as we would wish it. But he never lets us endure the trial without some kind of blessing that follows. It can take a long time to fine, but I promise it is there. I have lived a hard life, but my faith has become the one thing in my life that is stronger than hard. I heal as I learn to forgive. I heal as I trust that God will take care of the abusers in ways that I don’t yet understand. I heal as I learn that forgiveness never means that I can’t protect myself, it only means that when I think about the past it is without anger and malice. It is to let go and trust that a higher power has it all under control. Life isn’t fair, as much as we wish it would be. We are here to learn and to struggle. All of us. Some more than others. I take comfort in knowing that God knows my struggles. He knows my heart. He knows the pain. And I really believe that in the next life, it will be taken care of. I am not hoping for revenge. i hope that people truly repent, that they realize what they have done and that it is never done again. I also know, that many won’t. And I am willing to leave that judgement to someone who loves me as a daughter. Who knows exactly what I went through. And who will pass a righteous judgement. I believe that God gives us all chances to become. We all have choices and we all choose. I believe that he even knows why we make those choices. And that perhaps, is the most soothing thing of all.
Thank you Pattyann. Your story continues to inspire me. Your hope and energy are pervasive.
In reading your paragraph, did I see this?
You include God in your self-care because
power
connection
emotional milieu
helps you see yourself more kindly, value
diminishes anger
empowerment
empathy
Thank you again! Keep on.!
It has been difficult for me to rely on a “higher power” in the last two years. I have grown disillusioned with the church, and as a result, I have been living a God-less life. But your post has been inspiring. I have witnessed a lot of suffering in my personal and career life. there is a lot to say about how difficult this life is… but i can also identify a lot of things that have been blessings. I don’t want to live a life of fantasy, but I also admit that I am a limited being and need to rely on something bigger to live a fuller life. But I am not sure of what that “bigger” being entails, except maybe the source of grace, service, mercy, and forgiveness. I used to include God in many of my affairs, but I don’t anymore. Not even when the stakes are high. But perhaps I would need to do so again. Give this “God” a try. Any thoughts?
Really great to hear from you Noel. Thank you. Your transparent comment rocked this. You improved the idea we are trying to articulate here, and please continue to help me – believing or not believing is there because of “Me,” “my” choice. Not believing for you hasn’t yet improved your kindness to yourself. You wonder if believing might be better self-care. Yes?
I would not call it “self care ” but perhaps “self worth ” (which I guess can be the same thing) . I firmly believe I am living to learn how to serve others. To be an instrument of hope for a lot of needy people. But I am still growing in this spiritual journey. I hope i can sense the presence of God in a more tangible way. Thanks for listening.
When you say, “I hope i can sense the presence of God in a more tangible way,” you imply belief? Pretty cool to share. Keep on, mighty Noel.
I would like to see more evidence of his intervention (if such a thing exists) or does God simply let things happen in our lives without intervening . I am currently having marital problems and I found myself praying out of desperation for healing and peace. Testing God I guess. To see if prayer actually works , even though I believe praying for a favorable outcome is like trying to manipulate God. But I could be wrong.
I’m sorry to hear of that pain! Marital problems are tough. So you’re trying to approach this from the premise that God is and God is personal, to take care of yourself? Being kind to yourself throughout this experience is something we’d love to hear about. Go Neil!
Thinking of you Neil. Have a great day.