Compassionate Love: Displaying compassion for those who struggle with mental illness  (c)2015  Nancy Virden

Anxious thoughts founded on wanting to take back something I had given up,  had spiraled my mood down into discouragement for days. My head hurt, hands shook, and well, it was an effort to move. That was Tuesday.

Then the sun set and rose as it always does.

It had been a sleepless night- after all, my mind questioned why it should rest when life is so hard? There was no logic, just reactionary behavior. By morning I felt worse. “When will this stop hurting?” I asked God in tears. “Please help me to understand, again, why this has to happen this way.”

I had in mind to solve my problem. There was a simple solution- in a matter of minutes what I missed could be the answer it once was. I would be trading the best for the good. A compromise like that would solve a short-term difficulty but carried negative implications for the rest of my wellbeing. Would I be one to give up the fight and scramble for immediate gratification?

What kind of person did I truly want to be?

Comfort came in the form of a short statement I read in the book of Micah reminding me we cannot understand the greater plan God has for any circumstance. Struggle that looks impossible and meaningless is never actually either. With a sigh of deep trust in the One who has never let me down, I set out to explore the gift of Wednesday.

A visit to a person who had been ill and is now better allowed me to get out of those circling thoughts and into her world.

Upon arriving home I saw a package with a card inside from a young friend. The first line is, “I wanted you to know how incredibly special you are,” and the message got better from there.

Then my son called, which probably needs no explanation as to the cheer that brought his mother.

Sleep was easy Wednesday night. More importantly, it was peaceful. Negative thinking had been overruled by positive interaction with God and people. The sun always sets and rises to a new chance, to possibilities for change.

What a difference a day can make.

******

NOTE: I am not a doctor or mental health professional. I speak only from personal experiences with and observations of mental illness. In no way is this website intended to substitute for professional mental health care.