Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Your thoughts can be exhausting and can get in the way of our ability to recharge. Being aware of what we think and feel, taking those emotions captive, and making them obedient to the truth of Jesus is essential to guarding our heart and experiencing the peace that goes beyond understanding.
The episodes are the weekly sermons from 922 Ministries (St. Peter and The CORE) of Appleton, Wisconsin.
Burned Out
Week 3 - St Peter
Pastor Tim Glende
If the last few years have proven anything, it's the impact that emotions and thoughts can have on our resilience. The role that our emotion, our emotional health plays into whether or not we burn out. We just think of all that's transpired over the last two and a half to three years all that's going on that we face in endured and you can see how emotional resilience and it's important. And it's also an area in place where if we're not on top of it, if we're not doing the things that we can do and have our hearts focused on the right things from God, we will burn out. I just think about emotional health and wellness in a period of time where covid and mass vaccines and mandates, politics and social justice issues, no matter what news media outlet you watch or how many you watch or how much social media you in ingest. The reality is, all those things have affected us emotionally, perhaps, like nothing ever in human history.
And so, I think it's probably why we live in a time in history, where people are willing to talk about emotional, wellness and health. Like the odds are pretty good that 10 years ago, people would not have been posting all the things that they do today about emotional, wellness and health. Ten years ago, you wouldn't have had athletes like Simone Biles, perhaps the best gymnast of all time, walking away from potential medal records and fame and fortune, citing mental health, and wellness, and burnout as her reasoning. I just can't do it. And while there is a whole lot of debate around it. There were people who spoke up and stood out and applauded her for it, appreciated it. Say how grateful they were that someone was willing to talk about the impact of emotional health and wellness in their life so publicly. I know we talked about physical last year and it's biblical and we talk about spiritual last week and how important that is. But emotional resilience, emotional health, tackling a tough topic like emotions is one that churches probably have not been so eager to touch for a long time.
Because it's tricky. And that's why I need to give a disclaimer before we get into today's lesson.
Like there are some of you here dealing with real emotional issues, you've had real things happen to you that are big and difficult and challenging. And I don't want to give the impression and take it lightly. What you're going through is like clinical depression. That emotional wellness, that mental health issue is real and big and I don't want to give you the impression of data, there's a magic wand. I can wave over that and help you deal with that. It's hard. And there's help.
Today, mainly I'm going to talk to all of us in the general area of emotional Wellness. And I think this is where most people are, but if you're in the camp of, you've had something hard happen to you, and it's difficult and challenging. If you're dealing with some mental health issues, that are real and are part of the biological struggles, that you might have or issues in your brain. Like, see the appropriate people work with them work, with your pastors, there is help, and there's hope. But all of us can find throughs in today that can help us be emotionally resilient, no matter what situation we're in. If it's on that extreme of I've really worked hard and there seems to be no hope as opposed to everyday life situations, the struggles and challenges, uncertainties that come up. Today's goal is to give you tools. Help you be resilient and whatever time whatever period whatever issue you face. In a Godly way. And to help you do that. I want you to remember first the path remember these words, the first one was compromised, the last one is crash and right in the middle is compensate.
And I think that probably more than any of the others is where the emotional resilience leg of the stool comes into play. Like we compromise, may be physically, we compromise may be spiritually, and then we get into the struggle, that is real, and the compensation, and happens when we're facing an issue, facing a struggle facing a challenge going through something, when we're hurting, when life is hard, compensating is a huge huge thing to make sure we do an a Godly way and not in a worldly way. Like in the medical world, if you want to put a different word in there for today's topic you might call it coping. Like you heard people who cope with things, there's good ways to cope, and there's bad ways to cope, coping is compensating. And that's really what I want you to unpack. Today we talk about emotional resilience and wellness from the specific area of dealing with life when it hurts. So if you're taking notes, today we're going to wrestle with this question and try and get Godly answers to it when you are hurting. In the area of compensating or coping, I want you to think about this, I want you to write it down, either personally or mentally in your mind. Answer, these two questions when you are hurting, where do you go? But be honest, be real. Where do you go? Like, there's some good Godly places to go. Like if you're hurting financially, if you have some struggles with with money or resources whether to you from your own doing, or as a result of someone else's doing, there are financial advisors people with wisdom and insight, you can go to them.
There are experts who will give you wrestling with emotional wellness, and health anxiety. Maybe a disorder of some kind or another. Whether it's, you know, mental or physical. Like, there are great people and resources, you can go here in the valley to give you godly encouragement. Your life group, why? We want you to sign up for one? Could be one of those great places to go. When you are hurting godly people, around you to do life with good things, where do you go? And those things are all good, but a lot of people sadly go elsewhere. Or additionally, go elsewhere. Like, where do you go? Like when you're hurting, when life is hard, when your life gets turned upside down, are you more likely to go to a friend or go to the cabinet and pull out the bottle?
Like, where do you go when you're hurting? Are you more willing to unpack it and deal with it with others? Or do you run to the doctor and say, give me something that can help take the edge off a pill that will help me a little bit? I'm not saying it's bad. Just asking the question is that your go-to? Like, where do you go? Like it matters when we talk about when you're hurting and be emotionally resilient and then they wrestle with this one. What do you do? Like, what direction do you run in? Where do you go and what do you do? I'll give you one. Talk to psychologists. If you talk to a therapist, if you talk to people who understand emotions and resilience it, if not the emotions, the Bible, the world emotions are amoral they’re neutral. But emotions, while they’re neutral, will affect your behavior. You're not neutral. What do you do when you have struggles and challenges? It hurts. Like a lot of people when they get hurt or are hurting, they ruminate. Like they hold onto it, they chew on it. They swallow it, it creates bitterness. It's a spiral that can paralyze like, ruminating on a thing over and over and over again and not getting it out, not unpacking. It can take you to a very dark and bad place. Like it's a step down the road to the crash of depression. A lot of times. Maybe you're not a ruminator. Maybe you're a reactor. Like when you're hurting when someone is hurt you, when you're hurting and you don't know what to do, you just lash out with your words or your actions, you're a reactor. Like if you've ever put your hand through a wall when you've been hurting, when life is hard, you're a reactor.
You self-medicate or are you a stuffer? What do you do when you're hurting? Like you need to think about it. I need you to write it down. I think you need, to be honest with it because if you're not emotional resilient, that leg of the stool, you will be turned upside down the coping that you are doing. If it's not godly in good. Will lead to a crash that will be hard and painful. That's why emotional resilience is so vital and important. All these legs of the store interdependent they do, they play into each other when you're hurting, where do you go and what do you do? Because here's what I want to do for you today. I'm going to dig into God's word and help you see how God would have you coped in a good way? A Biblical way. Like what are some of the things that you can do? What would God encourage you to do? What, with the Bible? Tell yourself that when you're hurting, when life is hard, when the unexpected happens, when circumstances are out of your control, when you're spiraling, whatever the emotion, where does God want you to go? And what does God want you to do? Two sections of Scripture with you and unpack them to give you some godly encouragement. Some Godly advice that I pray, can be a blessing to you each and every day to be resilient, no matter where you're at, on the spectrum of hurting. Like, for some of you the hurting that you're going through right now, has been going on for a long time. And This Side of Heaven, it will never go away. How do you cope in a Godly way? Right now? And still be emotionally resilient For some of you, it's not here right now but it's coming. And you might not see it coming. What will God have you do to be emotionally resilient when you start hurting? Like, these things I believe are Godly principles that can bless you in a good way. And I know this from experience because I didn't necessarily apply them all the time during periods of my life when there's been hurting. Like where I went and who I went to like even sometimes my Christian friends for the best place to go.
And I don't want you to go there. God does allow you to go there. So, let's go to God, Psalm 42 first, to see what God would have us do when we're hurting. Like, Psalm 42 was written by the sons of Korah. They wrote several of the Psalms in the Bible. They were kind of the leaders of worship in the temple. Back in the day, the sons of Korah were involved in the worship. Life of God, they were the Jonathan favorites of 1000 BC but they were real and they were human.
Humanity on display. The emotions pouring out in these words and they'll give us insight as to what to do and where to go. My tears have been my food day and night. Like, I don't sit down at the dinner table and eat my tears. They bring down nutritious value. But the visual in the image is this person in his life was dealing with something. So big, it was so hard, he was doing, he was hurting. His tears were what he was ingesting, taking them in all day and all night, this was a challenging situation that he was going through. My tears have been my food all day and night. While people say, to me all day long. Where is your God?
Well, I'm hurting and I feel like I'm lost when when I wonder what's going on. My soul is downcast. He's going to say a little bit to those around him. The people that he relied on maybe even good people, a good thing where, like, where is your God? Like does he see you does he know you does he care about you? And in the middle of it, here's what he sent. He reminds us to do and where to go these things. I remember as I pour out my soul, How are used to go to the house of God and their protection of the mighty one with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng? Why am I so downcast? Why so disturbed within me like the emotion is real, what's going on? Its raw, the hurting and pain. Is there what to do when you're hurting, put your hope in God, Where to go, what to do for?
I will yet Praise Him My Savior and my God, my soul is downcast within me. Therefore, I will remember you. Like there are 3 truths in that section of scripture from that writer of Psalm 42 to help us do what God would have us do and go to the right place. When we're hurting Those other places, those worldly things might be good additional places and what would God have us do? And where would God have us? Go? You're taking notes. Write these down. Here's your fill in the blanks step. Number one, when you are hurting, God would tell you the Psalmwriter experience that he did. It pours out your soul. Sadly, all too often people stuff it Sweep it under the rug. Hope it'll go away. I just sit on it for a few weeks and make it better. The odds are pretty good it will get worse. Because that will lead to rumination. So pour it out, Psalm writer says, pour it out. Like don't allow the hurt to be ingested and cause another emotion bitterness. Don't allow it to be ingested and cause it to take a root in your heart. That affects your relationships like God would say poured out, it's biblical. Like a Psalm writer is pouring out his frustrations. He having a cathartic cry session, so to speak, with God in His words he's like pouring out all that's going on. It's not wrong to have questions to God. You saw King David before in Psalm 13. Right? Why God, where are you? God, that's pouring out your soul. David recirculating came back. And step number two, you're going to see what he did to not allow that to remain. But pouring out your soul is a Godly good thing, ruminating and stuffing. Is dangerous. Spiritually, physically. And can lead to the crash.
You can see that in the Psalm writer, he poured out his soul. God. This is what is on my heart. I'm owning again, I'm downcast that I might be in a bad place. I have a whole lot of questions, but he didn't stop there. Like pouring out your soul, allows it to come out whether it's right or wrong, good or bad. Pouring out your soul is essential.
It's kind of just like, taking out the garbage. Like how many of you have a garbage service that comes by your home? Whether it's a city of Appleton, the city of Neenah, the city of Menasha the city grant you, whatever it is right - Thursday. So we take it out on Wednesday night, we during the course of the week when the garbage can gets full, we don't just leave it in there and let the chicken remains and all the other things that smells it in our house, we take it out and they come and pick it up on Thursday. You know what? I've never done it on Thursday. I never watch for the truck. Saw him pick it up and started sprinting down the street after him. Begging him to let me have it back.
I've never once driven down to the garbage dump and delve into the trash to get my garbage back and sit next to my bed. And like there are bad things, there are things that we need to get out, sometimes they're real and sometimes they're wrong and things that happen to us, produce the emotions that that we all have, but we got to deal with them and get them out. Pouring out is cathartic in a spiritual blessing. And in the process, there's something else that we need to do. Replace it with something good, redirect your thoughts. Like any therapists and others with have you do the same thing? Redirect your thoughts, remove the bad, redirect. Your thoughts on something good. And it's what the Psalm writer. Did you hear it? In his words? Did you understand it? Identify it or underline. If you're going back to Psalm 42 later this week, look at the things that he redirected us thoughts, too. God worship, praise Joy, I'll put my hope in God, he's my savior, he's my God. But why, my soul is downcast within me. What do I need to do? This is where I'm at. I'm pouring out my soul. Therefore, as a result, I Will Remember You. Like confessional theology is a great thing. The truth about God are amazing. Things come to confirmation class, go to a starting point class and you'll hear us unpack for you biblical teachings biblical truth that is your fiance that is your theological truth base, right? It's confessional theology. But you also have to have a functional theology. Like, how you live? Like God is great. God is all powerful. God Saves your functional theology. In the middle of it there always has to be a my I'll say it again. There has to be a mom, I in your theology, the Psalm writer understood the power of it. How do I redirect my thoughts to? My God. Cut some off out there. God, he's not David's God. He's not King Solomon's God, he's my God.
He's my Savior. Like, if you want to be emotionally resilient, there has to be a my in your theology. That knows who God is and also knows, believes in what that has done to you. It has redefined you. That's redirecting, your thoughts, the God, who rules to The God, Who forgives to the God, who saves the God, who loves all. Those things are true. And when you do that, when you redirect your thoughts, then you can do it. The Psalmwriter did at the end, you can ever fill in the blanks reorder. Your hope. His last phrase in the Psalm was this? Therefore, I will remember you put your hope in. God, what is it that you need to remember to reorder your hope? I'm going to give you three things, reordering your hope involves three things that God would have. You remember, remember first what God has done for you? Remember what God has done for you at the cross? Where he forgave, you all your sins? Remember what God has done for you in rising from the dead, giving you new life, and giving, you hope remember what God has done for you. You in the waters of baptism, where he made you, his child gives you the spiritual blessings of forgiveness, new life and salvation. Remember what God has done for you? In a few minutes? We're going to celebrate as members of our church. The Lord's supper, or he seems very body and blood given for you remember what God has done for you? That will help you reorder your hope. Remember what he's done in the past.
And also remember what he's doing right now, like I don't know what you're going through. I don't know how big it is or how hard it is. I don't know how dark it is. I understand that you're on different places in the here and the now. But so often were hurting always see is the hurting And remembering what God is doing for you. Right now requires you to take a brigant broader picture of all that God is doing.
Like it remembers right now. Here today, even in the middle of this, I woke up, I'm still breathing God gave me another day of Grace.
I might be hurting physically but God gave me doctors and medicine and others to help me and maybe see me through it. What is God doing for me today? He's surrounded me with fellow Christians who can be a support, and a Lifeline for me in the middle of the storm. See, all the things God is doing for you. Right now, the food, he's putting on your table, the blessings. He has given to you the people in your life. You have to remember what God has done. If you want to reorder your whole gift, remember what God is doing. But at the end of the day, don't stop there. Also remember what God will do
My God's ultimate goal. Is not too. Take away all your pain here on Earth. You never promised that. His goal is to remove you from this Earth where there will be no more pain, his goal is to bring you to heaven. His goal is to see you through the darkness is goal. At the end of the day is for you to be with him for eternity, like, remember what he has done, what he is doing when you're hurting, and what he will do, when there will be no more hurting and pain. Or sorrow or tears. Like, if you want to be emotionally resilient reorder your hope and what God has done is doing and will do In fact, I would argue, if you want to sum that up in in a way that's easy and memorable for emotional resilience and health. These are tools that that I talked about to avoid the crash to avoid the compensating to not COPE in a bad way. What to be emotionally? Resilient identify the emotion, what it is? Like, dig down. Do some hard work, like be real. Are you angry over what someone did to you. Are you lonely because someone deserted you? Are you bitter because someone betrayed you like what's the hurt? What's the emotion, get real. Open it up, pour it out, don't sugarcoat it anymore, don't be downcast within and and stew on it. Rather poured out to God, identify the emotion. I want you to identify it. I want you to do this. I want you to validate it. Like so many people think the emotion is bad. They shouldn't have the emotions.
And you know who else had emotions? Jesus. Like, he went through the emotion of being deserted by his best friend's, he had the emotion of being crucified by his own people. He had the emotion of anticipatory anxiety in the garden. And you know what, every time he did, he redirected his thoughts and he ordered his Hope on God. But he validated it, he owned it, he shared it, it's not wrong to have it.
But what can be wrong is how you deal with it. And so, we need to align it. Like what does Godly behavior look like? How can I align my thoughts? How do I identify them, validate them, but always align them. It might be real. The hurt might never go away, but God will never waste a moment of darkness. He didn't waste it for Joseph, who spent 20 years in prison waiting, to get elevated to his position. He didn't waste it for Paul when he didn't take away his thorn in his flesh. Paul could celebrate the amazing grace of God and the victory that was his. He never wasted Darkness. Can always use it. To be a blessing for us. He might bring us through at the circumstances might change, but I need to align it with the truth of who God is and what God has done and will line up properly so that I behave in a Godly way. I think the best place that helps with that as this last passage, like maybe the challenge that I want to put in front of all of you is this week. Would you do two things? Would you read Philippians chapter 4 verses 4 through 9 at the beginning of every day? Like it'll help you understand what to do and where to go. If you want to be emotionally resilient,
And then I'm going to give you a prayer that maybe you can pray that will help you in the process too. If you would do that for a week straight, I wonder what it would look like and how that might help you. So I think the Apostle Paul understood that it helped him. The Apostle Paul said these words in Philippians chapter 4 rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again. Rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to all the Lord is near do nothing. Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation with prayer and petition present your requests to God, And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and Minds in Christ. Jesus finally, Brothers, whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable. Excellent or praiseworthy. Think about such things. See the Apostle Paul, what he's saying here? What he knew is to be aware of what we're thinking, taking those emotions captive and remind yourself of where to go and how to reorder Our Hope and redirect our thoughts. The Apostle Paul understood. There's a role that we play in it. Did you catch what he said in everything with prayer and petition to present your requests to God? Now, some of you have never sang A Hymn out of a Hymnal because we sing a lot of pre Psalms and a 9:00 at 10:30, right? Our downtown campus, but for many of you you probably know or heard of the famous Lutheran and Christian hymn “What a friend we have in Jesus”. Like you probably could finish the lines. Like the hymn writer understood. It maybe took it from these sources. Like, I want you to think about that. For I give you the big takeaway like what a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear, what a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. Oh, what need? We often forfeit? Oh what needless pain we bear? All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.
See your Psalm. If you've memorized it, live it. But be faithful in everything present, your requests to God doesn't mean you say, yes, but he wants you to do it. Pour out. Your soul, likely within three or four times, like the Apostle Paul. That's okay. Ask him questions. Where are you? What's going on? I'm hurting, I need help, that's great. Podium with prayer and petition. Redirect your thoughts with thankfulness to God, who he is, what he's done, what he will do. Think of the things of God. What's true about God? He will take me home to heaven. What's pure about God? He's made me. Holy what's excellent about God, he is good. And he is present. God will never waste a moment of your Darkness. God cares about your circumstances, but hear me, right? God is far more concerned about your character. Because, use this hope and hope does not disappoint us. Emotionally God wants to build up our character so that we never lose hope about what he will do one day. So, I want you to take this away. Be faithful, like, do the things God calls you to do, take your words to him in prayer, pour out your heart redirect, your thoughts redirect, and reorder your hope. All those things you do, God calls you to do, he gives us Insight of where to go and what to do. But at the end of the day, we can do all those things. But we have to have this at the foundation be faithful. But most importantly, be full of faith in God, because this is what's true about God. God is faithful. Like he, when he promises I will never leave you or forsake. You can be emotionally resilient by reordering, your hope in that promise reorder. Your hope in The God. Who says, well in this life, you will have troubles. Remember, I am overcome the world. I will take you home to Heaven. I'll work all things out for your good eternally period. That it might be hard and you might be hurting. It might never change here, but don't lose hope. I am faithful. God says. Which is why I want to give you a prayer. I'll use that. I love that. Maybe you can start your day with, cut it out. Take the bulletin home, find it online to resiliency prayer that someone taught me that, that emotionally helped me set the tone for a day. Lord, I know that the day events will happen, some good and some bad. Some that are in my control that most that are, I know that these events will trigger thoughts. Why me this shouldn't happen to me? Poor me. And those thoughts will produce feelings that will impact my behavior. So, when these events happen, help me remember that you have promised to never leave me or forsake me that's alignment and that you will work it out for my eternal good. That's alignment. So that I can have feelings of Hope and peace, and confidence, and joy with the goal that my behavior brings you glory. At all, I Say I Do, Pour out your soul. Redirect. Your thoughts reorder, your hope be faithful. And full of faith. Because God is faithful and he will deliver on those promises. And knowing that can bless us emotionally each and every day in the year ahead.