Isaiah 26:3; "3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee"
As you already know that I work in the mental health field. Every day I deal with individuals who need therapy regarding their mental health status. Most of the people I work with have a severe mental illness such as schizophrenia. However, It is one thing as a therapist to work with strangers, but when a loved one or close friend has a mental illness, it another story. Mental illness runs in my family, and by the grace of God, I have my right mind. Last night I had intervened in a crisis between family members where we tried to stress to the person that they needed to get professional help. When the situation calmed down, they could see how their behavior had affected everyone around them. I recalled telling the person when there is no peace in you, you create an atmosphere of chaos.
In regards to my mental health, I recalled a time when I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown. It seems that everything was crashing down on me at once. Therefore every day, I thank the Lord for my mind. And I do not take it for granted. In today's society, when you here the statement going to counseling, people think you must be crazy or have a screw loose.
Regarding therapy, this is not the case, just like we see our primary doctor for a medical checkup called prevention care. We need to go for a mental health checkup. As believers, the Lord is just as concerns about our mental health as He is about gifts and abilities. Often, we neglect our mental health and think that as long as we are functioning, everything must be okay. And maybe everything is. But there are times when we have to stop and get a mental health checkup.
As I pondered the situation more, the scripture that says Isaiah 26:3; "3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee" came to mind. Yeshua Hamashiach is the prince of peace, and as our mind stays on Him, we will be at peace. What does peace mean? The Hebrew word is shalom (both adjective and substantive), saying, primarily, "soundness," "health," but also coming to signify "prosperity," well-being in general, all good concerning both man and G-d.
You can have all the money in the world but without peace, how can you enjoy it. Proverb 10:22; The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it". The Lord wants us to be at peace, and if we are not, we may need to evaluate our environment. The scriptures encourage us to have inner peace Job 22:21, Psalm 4:8; 85:8, also outward peace (Job 5:23,24; Proverbs 16:7, etc. )
In closing, I encouraged you to allow the Lord to keep you at peace. The mind is a battlefield, but as we focused our attention on Him, we will be at peace. And if you need a mental health checkup to go ahead and do it.
Shabbat Shalom
Your Achoti/Sister
References:
No Author, . (5 May, 2003). Peace - International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia. Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/search/dictionary/viewtopic.cfm
Comments