MAY 31

Focus: Focusing on faith

Isaiah 26:3-4 (CJB) “A person whose desire rests on You, You preserve in perfect peace,
because he trusts in You. Trust in Adonai forever,
because in Yah Adonai,
is a Rock of Ages.”

The most important thing you need to think about right now is trusting God. If you were to count up the number of times a day your attention is taken in an area that takes you away from trust and could cause you anxiety—what would that number be? Is it between one to ten—or is it a number much higher than ten?

Whatever the number is—as a means of isolating the anxious thoughts you may be having, it might be helpful to actually write down on paper the things that tend to trouble you. The major things most people are anxious about have to do with relationships, finances, employment, health, safety, security, deadlines, etc.

Listing your anxieties will help you target the areas where you can begin doing a simple exercise. Let’s say the most critical area of anxiety you experience involves a relationship…a person. Whatever it is about that relationship that is causing you unrest—the Word of God says, ‘Come unto Me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.’ In other words, when we are filled with anxious thoughts, we are laboring and are heavy laden. God wants us to rest from our labor where anxiety is concerned.

Once you have made that list of anxieties, you can actually go through the list one by one, and give them all to God. He is completely capable of handling all of the things that concern us—so go ahead and give them to Him.

After you’ve done the exercise of giving your anxieties to God, adopt the practice of saying a simple faith statement whenever you’re tempted to worry about your situation with that relationship or other problem. The statement could be something like, ‘I’m not going to worry about that problem because I’ve given it to God and I choose to trust and not fear’.

After you give God ‘your list’, go through the things you listed and use the faith statement for each item on the list. Make a declaration about each one—such as, ‘I’m not going to worry about ___________ because I’ve given it to God and I choose to trust and not fear’.

Sad to say, many of the things we worry about are situations and conditions we are not able to control. All the same, our human instincts keep telling us that if we could just have our way, everything would be fine.

There are two dangerous things indicated about thinking that our way is the best way. The first one is, the concept of wanting things to turn out ‘our way’, is not trusting that God’s way is best. His Word says His ways are not like our ways—so it’s possible that what we want is not what He wants.

It’s not an easy thing to give up our desire to control a situation we’d like to see turn out in a particular way. We’re problem solvers by nature, and some of the hardest things for us to surrender to God are the things that concern having our own will and way. It’s actually not that hard to believe in God and confess our sins—the real test of our true faith in Him comes when we are faced with trust issues.

The other thing ‘wanting our way’ indicates is: fear. Fear that things will turn out bad. The Bible says that fear is torment. Aren’t you tired of being tormented? The Word also says that perfect love casts out fear. When we choose to fear, we’re not choosing God—because God is love. When we fear—there is something wrong with our faith. Faith comes from the Word of God, so if we’re filled with anxiety and fear—what we need is more of the Word.

There are two well-known verses that can help us release our desire to have our way and trust God.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Romans 8:28 (NIV) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

Any time your focus on faith shifts to anxiety and fear—pull it back on what the Word of God says. Everything we think about is a choice. Will you choose to allow your mind to be rooted and grounded in fear—or faith? It’s up to you.

Declaration: Instead of trying to control the outcome of my circumstances—I will focus my attention on controlling my anxious thoughts. Putting my trust in God’s good plan for my life will give me new strength and improve my faith.

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee as of the date they were written and posted. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog. This material will be published as a book at the end of 2012, by the grace of God.

To subscribe to New Strength, select ‘follow’ in the upper left corner of this page.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, browse: http://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/videos?view=1

MAY 30

Focus: Keeping a clean slate

Matthew 6:9-13 Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

We can learn so much from the prayer Jesus taught His disciples when they asked Him to teach them to pray. The word ‘debt’ in this context refers to something that is owed, but also denotes offenses, and sin. No matter how we look at it—debt refers to a negative account that needs to be settled. It’s undisputed that when we sin, we need Forgiveness, yet forgiveness can be an area of debate in some circles. The best place to turn for answers is the Bible, itself. As we examine the scriptures that pertain to the need for forgiveness and the power of forgiveness, we will gain a better understanding on God’s viewpoint.

Some people feel the subjects of sin and repentance are personal matters—nobody else’s business. We may also believe we can do certain things as long as we’re not ‘hurting anyone else’. The Bible makes it clear that our sin can affect the conditions of the country we live in. Take a look around and ask yourself whether you think repentance might be in order concerning the state of our country and the world. When sin is rampant among God’s people—the population suffers. We can think we’re not as bad as some people, however what we should be looking at is not other people, but our own personal condition and need for repentance and forgiveness.

2 Chronicles 7: 14
says, If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

God is making it clear that the healing of our nation has to do with our own willingness to humble ourselves and pray. As we seek God’s face and turn from our own wicked ways—He hears us. It is then that He will forgive our sins and heal our land. In this verse, God is talking about His own people—not the heathen who are living apart from God—but His own. 

Some people believe once they have become cleansed from their sins, they have a ‘blanket pardon’ for all the sins of the past, present, and future. It’s true that pardon is available to us, and it’s true that the blood of Jesus covers all sin—but ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ seems to indicate that forgiveness is something we should continually seek.

Why would Jesus have taught His disciples to pray a prayer where a request for forgiveness was included in the same sentence as ‘give us this day our daily bread’, if it was not something that needed to be done on a regular basis? The entire prayer consists of acknowledgments and requests that are ‘constant’ and ‘continual’, so asking for forgiveness must be a thing that should continue to be done on an ongoing, consistent basis day by day…and after a person has come into the family of God and is capable of calling Him, ‘Our Father’.

God doesn’t keep a scorecard of our wrong doing if we have repented. He is eager to forgive and forget. Hebrews 8:12
says, ‘For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’ 1 John 1: 9 goes on to say, ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ Colossians 1: 13-14
says, He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

When we are living apart from God, sin has us in bondage. We are trapped in a net, so to speak. Without forgiveness, we stand condemned. When we make the decision to follow Christ and accept His blood sacrifice as the payment for our sins, we are no longer slaves to wrong doing—but that doesn’t mean we can’t willfully choose to do wrong.

In recovery, we are encouraged to make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. It is further recommended that we admit the exact nature of our wrongs to God and another human being. We should be willing to humbly ask God to remove our shortcomings. We are instructed to live a life of strict accountability—admitting any wrongs we have committed promptly.

Nobody wants to be wrong. Most everyone wants to believe they are right. But the Bible says All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23, and ‘There is none righteous, no not one, Romans 3:10. When we fail, we must be willing to repent and ask forgiveness. God wants us to stay free from sin and its bondage.

Declaration: I will find new strength by daily admitting any wrong I have done and asking God for forgiveness.

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee as of the date they were written and posted. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog. This material will be published as a book at the end of 2012, by the grace of God.

To subscribe to New Strength, select ‘follow’ in the upper left corner of this page.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, browse: http://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/videos?view=1

MAY 29

Focus: Envisioning your path

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Today I saw a beautiful picture in a magazine of a garden path. I’ll do my best to describe it to you. If you try real hard, maybe the description will allow you to catch an important vision.

At the entrance to the garden, there were rambling rose bushes. Clusters of deep pink blooms stretched up and over the entrance on either side—forming a natural arbor. Just past the entrance, several rough, but not large stone slabs formed a rugged stairway leading to lush greenery and more colorful flowers, which were dappled in sunlight.

Although I’m sure the sight of the garden beyond was breathtaking, you really couldn’t see much of it from the vantage point of the entrance. The steps just inside the arbor were taking up most of the picture. Only a little of the garden could be seen—but even the small amount of it that was visible would make you want to go further and see what was up ahead.

The distance from one stone step to the next wasn’t much, but each step was irregular to say the least. I couldn’t help but think how you’d have to really keep your eyes on the path as you stepped from one stone to another, or you’d easily stumble. Interestingly, the area that preceded the arbor was shadowy, compared to the sunlit masterpiece inside.

The story that accompanied the picture, told how this incredible showplace was made by a man who wanted to give his wife a rose garden. Without any training or knowledge, he began planting and researching. Some things worked and some things didn’t. In twelve years, he learned a lot. He started out with just six bushes, but one thing led to another. He ended up with 300 on a four acre piece of land. Planning and planting became his passion.

Compare the picture and the story I just described to your own path on your journey to recovery. Hopefully, at this point you have seen a glimpse of the garden. You may not have navigated your way up the stony steps yet, but you know there is beauty to behold if you stay on the path and continue to make progress.

Maybe you haven’t seen your path as anything close to beautiful up to this point. Quite possibly, you’ve imagined your path more like a dusty, dry road through the wilderness…with no sign of an oasis. If that’s the case, it’s time to remember an important verse in the Bible. Hebrews 11:1 says, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

If you’ve seen your path as a wilderness—change your mind about that. ‘Faith’ says you can change your mind. Faith creates. So, if you’d rather be traveling on a path that leads to a rose garden—start envisioning your path that way.

Create your own vision of what you want that garden and path to look like. Start thanking God for the beautiful path He has put you on. Thank Him for bringing you out of the shadows and into the light of His presence. Thank Him for giving you the gift of faith. Faith can move mountains and it can change the way you see your journey.

Sure the steps are uneven at first—and can require concentration in order to keep moving forward, but where you are headed is worth the climb. Each step you take is a promotion. A victory. A step you won’t have to take again if you keep climbing. The real wasteland is behind you…and you don’t have to go back.

Remember, recovery isn’t a destination…it’s a journey. There isn’t going to be a day that you ‘arrive’…at least, not here on earth. You will make more progress some days than others, but the important thing is that you keep taking steps. As you continue to put one foot in front of the other, God will guide you. He can’t lead a person who is standing still.

Once in a while, remember your lowest point—just so you can realize how far you’ve come. You don’t have to dwell on the memory, but it’s good to remind yourself that there have been worse days than this one. Others have traveled this path before you. Some of them thought they couldn’t continue through some of the more difficult places, but they did. You can, too.

Declaration: I will find new strength by changing the way I see my path. I will use the gift of faith to create a beautiful, new environment day by day. I will not lose heart. I will trust God to help me keep making steady progress—even if my steps are tiny.

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee as of the date they were written and posted. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog. This material will be published as a book at the end of 2012, by the grace of God.

To subscribe to New Strength, select ‘follow’ in the upper left corner of this page.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, browse: http://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/videos?view=1

MAY 28

Focus: Friendship with God

Psalm 36:7-9 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life;
in Your light we see light.

There are few greater pleasures than having the friendship of your children. When they are young, you have a love relationship with them through the close contact involved with parenting. At that time of their life, you know them better than anyone. You understand the sounds they make and you respond the best way you know how. You put their needs before your own and give them all you’ve got.

As children grow and become more capable of taking care of themselves, you experience the painful realization that they no longer need you for everything. The small face that used to look up to you for help can sometimes look at you as though you’re suddenly not so smart anymore. Those years are bittersweet. In part, you have succeeded in raising a child to adulthood. Your goal was to teach them to survive apart from you. But now they can, and where does that leave you?

Hopefully, they reach a point as young adults when they are satisfied with their independence and have proved what they needed to prove to themselves—and now they can relax a little bit and be your friend in a mutually respectful way. Some children will never allow themselves to experience that. They will always think of their parents as ‘parents’ and not as people who are capable of friendship. What a loss for them.

There is no closer connection or relationship on earth than a parent and their child. A child’s life literally comes from the parent. There is an irrevocable, genetic deposit of the parent in the child that can’t be removed or undone. When a child says they are nothing like their parent and have nothing in common with them, it is the worst kind of rebellion. Not only against the parent, but against the design and purpose of God.

God created human beings for His own pleasure. He made us in His likeness. He wanted friendship with us. As sin came into the world, so did shame and alienation. It wasn’t God’s choice for man to be distant from Him. He never wanted it to be that way—but sin separates. Just like a child will often ‘hide’ when they have done something wrong—people tend to do the same where God is concerned.

A child who has a hard time being friends with their parents may have a hard time thinking of God as a friend, too. People often think of God in the same terms as their parents. If they don’t trust their parents—they will probably have to work extra hard at developing a trust where God is concerned, also.

As we consider having the ability to become what God wants…all of these dynamics come into play. If we had to earn our parent’s approval through performance, our relationship with God might start out being performance oriented, too. It might take a lot of time and experience before we come to the point of realizing that performance is not what God wants from us at all. What He wants is our time and attention—our friendship.

A loving parent never gets tired of their child asking for their opinion. Seeking the wisdom of their parent is the highest compliment a child can pay to them. It’s not as though parents know everything—sometimes parents have to tell their child they don’t have an answer, but they can offer to pray that God will give their child the answer they need.

God loves to share what He knows with His children when they ask. He delights in us spending time with Him, listening for His voice, and giving Him the respect He is due. Acknowledging His wisdom in matters where you are stumped, is giving Him glory and honor. He loves to be available—but more than just being your problem solver—He wants to be someone whose company you actually prefer—not someone you visit now and then out of obligation.

Spend a few moments with the following exercise: Imagine a picture of the lovingkindness of God. Stop and consider what His lovingkindness looks like to you. Visualize putting your trust under the shadow of God’s wings. What does it look like when you think about being abundantly satisfied by the fullness of His house? Picture God giving you a drink from the river of His pleasures. How does it taste? See Him as the fountain of life. You don’t have to fear death because the life He gives you is everlasting. Grasp His image as being wonderful, illuminating light. Embrace the thought that as you are close to Him and abide in his presence—you become able to ‘see the light’…in other words, the answers to the problems you may be facing are revealed.

Declaration: I will find new strength by cultivating a more intimate relationship with God. I choose to trust Him and not be distant. I will cherish the time I spend with Him because He is my closest friend.

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee as of the date they were written and posted. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog. This material will be published as a book at the end of 2012, by the grace of God.

To subscribe to New Strength, select ‘follow’ in the upper left corner of this page.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, browse: http://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/videos?view=1

MAY 27

Focus: Distraction

Isaiah 26:3-4 (KJV) Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever: for the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.

Distraction is the cause of many mistakes. When your mind is somewhere else, it’s easy to forget to do the simplest things. Distraction is common when you’re depressed or dependent. It doesn’t seem to matter how hard you try to stay in the moment—your mind just wanders. Realizing you’ve forgotten to do something important makes you feel worse than ever, so your feelings of self-worth sink even further. Often, you feel ashamed and remorseful when something slipped your mind. Sometimes you can fix your mistake—and sometimes you can’t.

Another one of the results of distraction is making a decision to do something you wouldn’t ordinarily do. In both depression and dependency, you are doing a lot of ‘time traveling’. Living in the past one moment—and in the future the next. No wonder it’s so typical to not be in the ‘now’ and no wonder you make mistakes when your mind isn’t on what you’re doing. Really simple things can escape you—even when you’re trying to do things right.

Having too many things on your mind is a typical cause of distraction. When you’re depressed or dependent, more than one thing can be ‘too many’. While you’re trying to do one thing right—you’re thinking about another thing you also need to be working on—and before you know it, you’ve made a mistake on the thing you were doing.

When you’re feeling low, you might be struck with an impulse to try to make yourself ‘feel better’. A ‘feel better’ thought, like taking a drink, using a drug, over-eating, compulsive shopping, and so on, may suddenly come into your mind—taking it away from reason and sanity. Before you know it, you’ve done something you had decided not to do anymore. The reason you did it was because you allowed your mind to be distracted by imagining how that ‘wrong thing’ would make you feel better. But the feeling didn’t last, and then the mistake you made caused you to be stuck with more consequences—all because you allowed yourself to be distracted.

Letting your mind get carried away is the cause of most of the problems you have. Daydreaming and time traveling are such culprits of stealing the time you should be spending in reality. It’s almost impossible to do things right in reality—when you just ‘aren’t there’.

Let’s face it. Making mistakes causes a lot of problems. It causes problems for you, your family, your friends, your employer…everyone. It’s important that you get a handle on distraction so you can stop having to deal with all the problems caused by your mistakes.

How can you stop making mistakes when you can’t get your mind to focus? The best advice I can give you on developing your ability to focus, is to keep your mind on God and trust Him for the help you need. Isaiah 26:3-4 (KJV) says, Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever: for the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.

I don’t think it’s enough to ‘wish’ we could stop something. Wishing won’t change anything. Finding the ability to trust God completely is the only way we can stop being depressed and addicted. All of the things we suffer from can be traced to the simple fact that we don’t—or won’t trust God. The problem we have with distraction is a lack of trust. True trust in God results in perfect peace—not distraction.

A person with perfect peace is able to focus on what is right. When our mind is in complete agreement with the mind of Christ—we will want to do what is right. Going down a wrong path would be out of the question if our mind was focused on the Lord and our trust was in Him.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not on thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. What makes us daydream and time travel, is choosing to lean on our own understanding and not acknowledging Him. If we could walk in true communion with the Lord and live more in His presence—trusting Him to help us do things right—He would not allow us to make so many mistakes. If we would check with Him about every little thing, He would let us know that what we were about to do was wrong.

It all boils down to choosing His way instead of ours, doesn’t it? What could be better than having the peace of God? If distraction is our weakness—we need to be made strong in the area of our weakness. The Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength and nothing is too hard for Him. There is no weakness in us that He is unable to make strong.

Declaration: I will find new strength by trusting the Lord JEHOVAH who is everlasting strength. I will find perfect peace by keeping my mind focused on Him. As I live in perfect peace, distraction will not cause me to make mistakes.

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee as of the date they were written and posted. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog. This material will be published as a book at the end of 2012, by the grace of God.

To subscribe to New Strength, select ‘follow’ in the upper left corner of this page.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, browse: http://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/videos?view=1

MAY 26

Focus: ‘Faith’ in a positive and negative sense

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen.

As you attempt to build your faith and keep moving forward, it’s important to think about faith itself, and what it actually is.

Those of us who were raised in church and learned memory verses might automatically think we know exactly how to define it. We might spew out a few well known scriptures like: ‘Calling those things which are not as though they were’–or ‘Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God’, or the one above, which I’ll repeat, ‘Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen’…and all of those are true.

It’s possible you’ve related faith to an act that can bring about a positive outcome–and that would also be true. However, I’d like you to consider the flip side of positive faith and how the opposite of positive faith could be affecting your life.

There is a story in the Bible about a man named Job. Job was a bit of a worrier. In the first chapter of the book of Job, we are told that if Job’s seven sons and three daughters were in attendance at a feast–Job would go and offer sacrifices ‘just in case’ any of them might have sinned while they were there. It says that Job did this continually.

Job went through a time of extreme testing. It turns out that all of Job’s sons and daughters were killed in a terrible storm while they were ‘feasting’ at the oldest son’s home. Besides that, all of Job’s livestock and servants were attacked and killed by foreign enemies.

A short time later, Job is stricken with boils. They covered his whole body. His pain was so intense he cursed the day he was born. Job was sorry to be alive and wished he could die.

In Job 3:25-26, he makes some statements that are very thought provoking. He says: ‘For the thing which I greatly feared is come unto me. I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.’

When you think about a statement like: ‘Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen’–are you able to interpret that in terms of a negative kind of faith? Think of it this way, Job was seeing the substance of what he had hoped wouldn’t happen. The negative things Job had been obsessed with, happened.

Job was obsessively obedient to God, hoping nothing bad would ever happen to his sons and daughters, instead of trusting his sons and daughters welfare to God. He constantly took it upon himself to offer sacrifices ‘just in case’ his children might sin.

All of Job’s worrying about his children didn’t save them. What Job feared came to pass. I’ve been giving a lot of thought to this line of thinking and how destructive it can be. The real point to be made here is: Fear is negative faith--or the absence of faith.

If you and I are wanting to move ahead in the development of our faith, we have to stop worrying and allowing fear to torment us. We can’t keep dwelling on the ‘what ifs’. We can’t keep saying, ‘I’m so afraid of…’ When we are tempted to speak negative things because of fear, we must see it just like any other kind of powerful declaration we would make in a positive sense.

When you say, ‘I am not afraid’–it is a positive faith statement. It may not be entirely true as far as a complete manifestation–maybe you are still afraid–but in a statement of positive faith, you’re declaring you want to not be afraid. You want it so badly that you’re calling something that is ‘not yet’, as though it had already come to pass through the act of saying, ‘I am not afraid’.

Victory in the area of building our positive faith will only happen if we focus our attention on the promises of God found in His Holy Word. There is comfort and courage to be found there–if we are willing to seek it.

Positive faith will take root and grow more rapidly as we stamp out the growth of negative weeds that want to crowd and choke out the positive.

Declaration: I will find new strength by cultivating the growth of positive faith in my life. I will feed my positive faith from the promises I find in the Word of God.

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee as of the date they were written and posted. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog. This material will be published as a book at the end of 2012, by the grace of God.

To subscribe to New Strength, select ‘follow’ in the upper left corner of this page.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, browse: http://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/videos?view=1

MAY 25

Focus: Embracing stress

1 Corinthians 2:11-12 (KJV) For what man knoweth the things of man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God: that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

My husband has a high stress job, in my opinion. When people ask me what he does for a living, I like to break in to a southern drawl and reply with a slow grin, ‘He sells drugs’. It always gets an interesting reaction.

In truth, he does sell drugs; he’s a pharmacist. A fascination with chemistry and medications led him to a career in customer service. I’m sure in the six years he spent studying for his profession that he never dreamed how much of his time would be spent solving insurance problems, waiting ‘on hold’ to speak to a doctor, listening to crying babies while he’s trying to concentrate, or telling people where they could find the public restrooms.

When we moved to Florida 25 years ago, Jeff was blessed to work with another pharmacist who was like a father to him. Fred was and is one of the nicest, most caring persons we have ever known. Amidst the pressure of the day, Fred made it his business to greet his customers personally and ask how their family was doing. He treated everyone with kindness and respect.

Poor Jeff had a bit of a complex for a while after he went to work with Fred. It seemed like nobody wanted him to wait on them. They all wanted to know where Fred was and when he would be back. I don’t know if Fred was always so nice or if he became that way after years of trial and error.

For the first twenty or more years Jeff was a pharmacist he sometimes took it personally when an impatient customer insulted him. I’d try to explain to him that unhappy people are unhappy wherever they go and that the person who had been unkind to him was probably unkind to everyone, not just him.

Other times, he would come home and pour out a story of how an insensitive, demanding person had pushed him past his limit. Jeff would go on to express his regret at how he had responded in a way he now wished he hadn’t.

I watched over and over as Jeff made a personal call or visit to the person the next day and turned a negative into a positive, by repenting and apologizing. Some people would have just let it go and figured the rude customer ‘had it coming’. But not Jeff. He really worked at trying to make things right and made a sincere effort to keep his conscience clear.

Stress is the true test that shows what a person is made of. It makes some people become mean and makes others become mild.

Another part of stress in a pharmacy is the stringent record keeping and corporate pressure. The importance of accuracy is extreme and the demands keep increasing. For years we have seen the systems getting more and more complicated. At times, Jeff has struggled under the strain. But today, he said he has decided to stop resenting the company’s demands and embrace their standards.

When you’re constantly being told to work harder and do more than you’ve ever had to do in the past, anybody might be tempted to have a, ‘what for’ attitude. It’s hard to keep going when you don’t see the big picture. But Jeff has concluded there must be reasons he can’t see that forces the company he works for to have to keep raising their standards.

Isn’t that a beautiful point of view? Isn’t that an epiphany? To reach a point in your place of extreme pressure and stress where you can say, ‘I’ve decided to embrace that there’s a bigger purpose I can’t see and I’m just going to go with it’. I believe that attitude comes by revelation of the Holy Spirit.

When you are able to reach a place of submitting to the bigger purpose, stress is no longer an enemy. It is now a tool in the Master’s hands. Just another one of the many methods of refinement sent for your eventual benefit. Having this change of heart won’t cause stress to decrease—it will just make more sense out of it.

Coming to this kind of awareness won’t necessarily help you do a better job…you will still need a strength beyond your own to have the grace you need in trying circumstances. But there is good news. You have a teacher and guide who can help you. The power of the Holy Spirit will enable you to use these opportunities you’ve been given to develop your ability to show more love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance…under stress.

Armed with this knowledge, you can face stress with fortified courage and see it with new eyes. Stress will not defeat you—but promote you, as you choose to bend and not break.

Declaration: I will find new strength by embracing the pressure and stress in my life. I will trust that God has a plan and purpose that will lead to good things.

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee as of the date they were written and posted. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog. This material will be published as a book at the end of 2012, by the grace of God.

To subscribe to New Strength, select ‘follow’ in the upper left corner of this page.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, browse: http://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/videos?view=1

MAY 24

Focus: Being real

Proverbs 31:30 (NIV) Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Throughout history people have worshipped beauty. Civilizations and cultures have always exalted beautiful people to leadership and fame—and the age we live in is no exception. In magazines, on television, the silver screen, and the internet the spotlight is pointed at people who seem to have no flaws. The current focus on fairness may prove to help somewhat in the future, but let’s face it—beauty usually wins out.

It’s hard not to notice people who are especially good looking—who have it all put together. But, what if you’re not that? What if you just never were and never will be? What does that make you?

From a physical standpoint, people who are beautiful when they are young—are bound to ‘age’ in time. What happens then? How does a person keep their position as one of the beautiful ones when time takes it toll?

If you’ve been through a lot of stuff like depression and dependency…that takes a toll, too. My hair started turning gray when I was seventeen. By the time I was thirty, I was more than half gray and within a few years after that, my hair was white. I make it slightly yellow, but it’s actually quite white. I get compliments about my hair and I like to say I earned every one of them—which is true.

Trials do take a toll, and as you look in the mirror, you might not like what you see. If you’re like me—you see every line and shadow as though you’re looking through a magnifying glass. I recently had to have some extensive dental work done and am still having a little trouble not wondering what’s going to ‘go’ next.

It’s hard to imagine that God intended for our bodies to age and wear out. Don’t you wonder sometimes why that should have to happen? Because sin entered into the world with Adam and Eve, we have to deal with a lot of things that might have been different otherwise—but God’s original plan was for living creatures to multiply—so there would have to come a point in time when the planet would become overpopulated, if He hadn’t originally intended that we’d eventually ‘give up the ghost’.

I remember my grandmother saying when she was in her eighties that she still felt like a ‘girl’ inside. I liked hearing that…and I’m beginning to understand what she was talking about more and more.

I am learning to take comfort in some of the things that have happened to my body as a result of stuff I’ve been through. For one thing, I know I’m not alone. I’ve learned to recognize certain characteristics in other people that offer little clues about where they’ve come from and what they’ve been through. I guess it’s one of the beautiful things about growing older and becoming able to face some of the consequences that accompany a history of depression and dependency. When you reach a point where you’re not so caught up in yourself—you begin to see new things to appreciate in people you can relate to.

I am a faithful believer in sunscreen and moisturizers and I use them morning and night every single day. My husband and I have taken up kayaking. We go out on the water regularly and are purposely trying to stay as strong as possible while we can. I won’t stop trying to hold off the clock, but I know it’s inevitable—we’re all getting older every day we live.

There are other kinds of beauty to embrace when the physical kind is fading—or maybe was never quite there anyway. There is the beauty of being—or becoming a person who truly cares about others. A person who is all wrapped up in their ‘self’ gives very little thought toward those who are hurting or lonely. When you are one of the ones who is in that place of pain and isolation, and someone takes a personal interest in you—you see that person as beautiful, no matter what they look like.

I remember the revelation of reading ‘The Velveteen Rabbit’, by Margery Williams, to my children when they were young. It was a profound experience to grasp the concept in the story. In a nutshell, the rabbit becomes ‘real’ at the end of the story because he was loved and worn out by the boy he was given to.

In this life—we become ‘real’ when we get past the superficial part of life…the things that don’t last. Experience does take a toll. Heartache takes a toll…and so does every kind of pain we go through. But each time some of the surface is chipped away—a little more of the person underneath emerges…until we are completely ‘real’. The ignorant and inexperienced can keep ‘beautiful’…I’ll take ‘real’.

Declaration: I will find new strength by embracing ‘real’.

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee as of the date they were written and posted. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog. This material will be published as a book at the end of 2012, by the grace of God.

To subscribe to New Strength, select ‘follow’ in the upper left corner of this page.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, browse: http://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/videos?view=1

MAY 23

Focus: Spiritual nourishment

1 Peter 2:2-3 (NLT) Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.

When we try to live right in our own strength, we always fail. Almost everyday of our lives we will be called on to do something we would rather not do. The only way we can succeed in this life and keep moving forward is by tapping into the power that is available to us through the Word of God.

I can’t explain how the power of the Word of God works—it just does. When we feel beat—it can lift us up. I used to read books and articles with scripture references and would just pass over the references as though they weren’t even there. What a mistake! That’s why I am in the habit of writing out scripture verses for you to read. The Word of God is the most important thing we can ever read. If we think we have to ‘skip’ something—it should be all the stuff that is not the Word of God.

I’ve noticed that when I start my daily writing with a long scripture—the statistics I am able to access on the internet show that not as many people read. How sad is that? It appears to me that people would generally prefer to read the words of a person more than the Words of God.

So, as I write today—I am giving you the gift of some scriptures that are known for having the power to motivate and inspire those who read them. The question is: Will you read them? Will you choose to be inspired and motivated by the pure spiritual milk offered from the true Word of God? If you will, you will grow and find new strength to meet the challenges you are faced with.

Psalm 37:23-24 (NLT) The Lord directs the steps of the godly.  He delights in every detail of their lives.  Though they may stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.

Psalm 32:8 (NLT) The Lord says, ‘I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.  I will advise you and watch over you’.

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) For we are God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 4:20 (NLT) Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT) Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Psalm 37:4 (NLT) Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Romans 8:28 (NLT) And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Romans 12:11 (NLT) Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 

1 Corinthians 9:24 (NLT) Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize?  So run to win!

Ephesians 6:7 (NLT) Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

Philippians 4:13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT) Always be joyful.  Never stop praying.  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 4:10, 11 (NLT) God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts.  Use them well to serve one another… Do it with all the strength and energy God supplies.  Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ.

Declaration: I will find new strength from the power I receive when I read the Word of God.

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee as of the date they were written and posted. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog. This material will be published as a book at the end of 2012, by the grace of God.

To subscribe to New Strength, select ‘follow’ in the upper left corner of this page.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, browse: http://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/videos?view=1

MAY 22

Focus:  Employment

Colossians 3:23 (NKJV) And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.

When you have a history of depression and dependency, you might have a history of employment issues, also. It’s hard to do well at a job when you are fighting feelings of despair or having sobriety problems. There are a lot of people who are unhappily employed and quite a few who are not employed at all. It’s actually pretty unusual to find someone who has been employed for a long time and still loves what they do.

Most people go into a new job with the attitude that they will give it their best shot. They want to make a good impression, they start out putting their best foot forward. For a while, they are on the ‘honeymoon’…and then after a while, things might not be so great. They begin to realize the people they work with are real people with a lot of personality quirks and problems.

No matter what the people you work with are like, a job can be exactly what you need for accountability at this time. You might not feel like going in to work, but what happens when you stay home? You feel guilty for not going to work, you lose income that you no doubt need, and being home alone or at odds may not be the best thing for you either.

Just like you need to have people you’re accountable to—you need to take responsibility for your life and be productive. Those may seem like words you’d rather not read, but truthfully, work is healthy for everyone. The Bible says those who don’t work, shouldn’t be entitled to eat. It also says that if someone doesn’t provide for their own—they are worse than an unbeliever. Harsh as it seems—it’s the Word of God.

If you have a hard time facing or keeping a job because of the people—well, that’s something to think about, too. It always comes down to relationships with depression and dependency. There is always that person or those people who make you want to quit, right?

Having good and lasting relationships with people on this planet is the acid test of life itself. God could have created little pseudo earths for each of us so we wouldn’t have to deal with anyone else—but He didn’t do that. He created lots and lots of species of living beings and made them all reproducible. He wanted to have the earth full of living creatures. He knew we wouldn’t all get along perfectly, that some would get along better than others, and that some would have trouble getting along with anyone period.

There are so many characteristics of behavior in all the various animal kingdoms—just like there are lots of commonalities and conflicts among humans. We aren’t all alike for a reason—yet there are many things we can share. The one thing we all have in common—between animals, people, and all created beings—is that we were made by the same Creator, according to His intelligent design. His plan for us was to co-mingle, socialize, and relate to each other.

When you consider the workplace as a testing ground for your faith in God—work can become much more palatable. When you stop thinking about work in terms of whether you like someone telling you what to do, or what not to do—and start thinking about work as a place where God has placed you to live and learn while showing His love and presence—everything changes.

It’s not that hard for us to say to God, ‘Use me’—or, ‘Send me’. We sing songs that say, ‘Show me your ways that I may walk with You’—and then we wonder why we have to put up with people. Well, that’s what it’s all about, if you want to know God and become more like Him. He made all of us—not just the people you get along with, or who believe what you believe, or who smell good. He made us all. So, if we are going to love God—we have to love who and what He made.

I agree, loving all of God’s people is not that easy to do. Even for two people who seem perfectly matched and are crazy in love—living together in harmony becomes a challenge at times. Divorce is rampant and the courts are full of people who eagerly pledged to stay together for the rest of their lives—and now can’t wait to get away from each other.

The only way we can relate to all people with love is because they are all God’s creation. It’s not up to us to decide if they are lovable. He commanded us to love one another.

Declaration: I will view employment as part of God’s plan for my life. I will find new strength as I do my job as unto the Lord. As I love with His love, instead of mine, I will be able to tolerate and learn to enjoy working for a living.

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee as of the date they were written and posted. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog. This material will be published as a book at the end of 2012, by the grace of God.

To subscribe to New Strength, select ‘follow’ in the upper left corner of this page.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, browse: http://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/videos?view=1