I recently finished 3 years of grad school pursuing my MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling-my final papers were due at exactly 11:59pm on December 10, 2021. It was a journey because for years, I had struggled with clinical depression. But due to years of struggling AND seeing others struggle with mental illness, especially seeing my brothers and sisters in the ministry struggle, even hearing the news of some taking their own lives because of depression, put fire in me to be able to finish, so that, eventually, I can help them too? Not just relate to their experiences but also help them!
In my first full semester, I had a bout of depression that was darker than some of the other times I had severe ones. I honestly felt like this one was going to finally kill me.
The other day, I got my diploma from the seminary, and I write in my caption,
“Here it is…All God’s strength that lives in me is how this happened! Hallelujah!”
Because it was His strength that lives in me-I would not have been able to do this on my own! I am so thankful!!!
With this said…
Has anyone ever told you these?
“What you are setting out to do, you aren’t going to succeed…you need to change things before it’s too late.”
“You might be good at what you do but there’s no hope for you.”
“You’re a dreamer and that’s all you will ever amount to, dreaming! There’s no way you will end up doing all of that!”
“You can’t do that, it’s impossible! “
Well, I’m here to tell you that those comments and so many more of the “You can’t, or you aren’t…” are just LIES!
Let me repeat,
LIES!
I had someone tell me a few of these things and it ruled how I lived my life when making decisions and starting something and giving up. I even used to say that I was great at giving up.
There were things that needed to change in my mindset…
I had to learn to dig deeper in my walk with the Lord and really begin to digest all that He said about WHO I was and BELIEVE the very thing that I would remind others about who God said they were.
Part of the message that I had to believe for myself was this:
I can do ALL things through Him who gives me strength.
I am more than a conqueror.
I am His child.
His plans for me are for good and to give me hope.
There is so much more to remind us to change our “I can’t” to “I can!”
I am a fan of these sayings,
“She believed she could, so she did!”
“What if I fail? Oh, but Darling, what if you fly?”
“Oh, but you can!”
What LIES have you had to change and believe and live out the TRUTHs of what God says you are?
