~~ Psalm 46:10a (NIV) ~~ He says, "Be still, and know that I am
God..."
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| Downtown Toronto, Ontario at Top Speed Photo by Carley Cooper All Rights Reserved |
Everyone has a busy life these days.
Are you one that has 78 things on your To-Do list, and they’re all #1
priority? You have an early breakfast
meeting, shopping for cousin Emily’s wedding gift, get the kids off to school,
a presentation for an important potential client, 6 dozen cupcakes for the
church’s bake sale; and if possible, maybe time for a pee, and to kiss your
spouse on the way out the door. You are
on system overload.
Is Chaos is the Theme of Your
Life Sometimes?
Yea, me too. My head has been
like Union Station
on a holiday weekend, lately. There’s
noise and people coming and going in every direction. These scurrying folks are much like the mind
of a person with Bipolar Disorder. Racing thoughts is one of the basic traits (I
hate the word symptoms... oops, there it is again). It’s up there with:
- Extreme Mood Swings (from Depression to Mania)
- Taking on too Much
- Extreme Energy Changes
- Impulsive Behavior
- Damaged Relationships
- Increased Creativity
- Poor Judgement
- Heightened Senses
- Hyper Sexuality
- Talking a Lot (and fast)
- Delusions
- Decreased (or No) Sleep
- Poor Concentration
- Risky Behavior
- Loss of Appetite
- and Mental Breakdowns
- (And those are just the basics; there's more).
That’s a lot of chaos to put into an already full day. Racing thoughts are not a question of “If?”, but “How fast?” Am I going the speed limit on a busy city
street, or at maximum speed (in a fast car) on a German autobahn? Make no wonder our brain’s can’t seem to turn
off.
When You Can’t Prioritize
Your List, God Will
In the past few weeks I have been getting messages from God everywhere
that says:
- Quiet
- Rest
- Be still
and the scripture verse Psalm 46:10a (NIV), He says, "Be
still, and know that I am God..."
I’m not just talking about a few times here and there, but a few times
daily. Obviously God is trying to make
me rest. I’ve tried hard to quiet
myself. My brain, and sometimes my body,
doesn’t want to be still.
Every morning before I get up I do my devotional time. I read some email devotionals on my Blackberry
that came in overnight. Then, one or two
from my books. Then, I have prayer
time. If I have time, I listen to some
worship music. Other times, maybe a 30 minute meditation program on my MP3 Player. This morning,
again a couple of devotions (from different sources), had the message ‘Be
still’. As, I began talking to God, I very clearly felt Him saying in a quiet whisper “Stop”.
I thought “Huh?”
He said “Stop talking.
Just listen.”
“Uh, OK”, I said. I laid down, closed
my eyes and listened.
He said “I love you, Child.”
I listened more. I felt a
sensation in my head as though He were touching my mind. I was aware He was showing me how to slow
down my mind, but it wasn’t going to happen in one fell swoop. I waited to hear what He would say next. Then, my brain began jumping to different
thoughts. Random items not related to
each other. Emotions and sensory
perception is always heightened in those times.
I didn’t move as I laid there. As
if I had turned away from Him, He turned my face (yet, I didn’t move,
physically), saying “Me. Focus on Me.”
My focus went back to Him for a few moments. My thoughts started jumping to all sorts of
things from bills I had to pay, to stressful things happening right now, to
conversations I’ve had, conversations I would like to have, and more. He touched my mind and brought my focus to
Him, every time I drifted.
You Will Be Amazed at the
New Prioritized List
I knew immediately that He wasn’t about to drop a miracle cure on me,
though He could have. I also knew it was
because there wouldn’t be a lesson in it for me, and I wouldn’t have the tools
I need to help others later. Truthfully,
that was totally fine with me. As hard
as this road is to travel, and as much as I’ve longed to fit in, the idea of
being normal when I’ve never been there is kinda
very scary. Research for my new book, Cocoa with Jesus; about my life, mental illness and abuse, has taught me that many
Bipolar patients feel the same.
In a
documentary called The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive: The Stephen Fry
Story (Video’s Part 1, Part 2 - 1 hr each) actor, screenwriter, author,
playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter, and film
director, Stephen Fry said:
“I asked many of my fellow Manic Depressives… if they could press a button to release them from their Bipolarity, would they do so? Most, despite traumatic moments in their life, said ‘No’. So, after all this, what would I do? I wouldn’t press the button and live a normal life; not for all the tea in China.”
God Will Organize the Chaos
I know God will be helping me to calm my mind. If I can create enough strength to control
this issue of a run-away brain, then I could have some control over Bipolar
Disorder. It would be much like what Tom Wooton; speaker,
author, Bipolar sufferer, founder of Bipolar Advantage, and writer
of a column of the same name for Psychology Today calls Bipolar IN Order; as opposed to Bipolar DISorder. The mission of Bipolar Advantage is ” to help people with mental conditions shift
their thinking and behavior so that they can lead extraordinary lives. “
It’s a fascinating concept. It’s
also a course offered to sufferers and clinicians alike, that is getting rave
reviews. They teach how to control the
disorders in such a way the patient can still function in life. It is NOT remission, but it makes that
extremely wide zone, that is dangerous to the Bipolar patient, become
controlled enough to be safe. Life will
still be in the extreme-personality zones without the danger, or restriction to
a ‘box’ life that personalities just don’t fit into.
I’ve learned God does not waste anything; not even
mental breakdowns, mania, or bad decisions.
If I can still my thoughts, even for a few minutes each day, to allow
God to work in my mind as He does in my heart, I could eliminate much of the
chaos from the Bipolar Disorder, and put it IN order. Then maybe I can help others do the same. How cool would that be?!
Nothing is ever so hopeless that God can’t organize, clean, straighten,
lighten, vacuum, build, or fix it. It’s
when you are racing at top speed and can’t stop, be still, and listen; is
exactly when you need to do exactly that.
Stop, be quietly, breathe, be still, and listen. He will help you organize the chaos.
Let’s Pray
~~ Dear God ~~ Merciful,
Loving Father; thank You for never giving up on me. I know that sometimes You can be at the
bottom of my To-Do list. Help me to make
You my very first priority each morning, and to go to bed each night knowing
that I accomplished all the tasks assigned to me in a manner that is pleasing
to You. Please use my struggles and
victories to further Your kingdom, and to help others. In Jesus name, AMEN.
Worship Melodies Milestone!
'How to put Organization into Your Chaos' is Worship Melodies 100th Post!
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