The history books and movies in pop culture always showcase the big battles or bloody, vicious wars throughout human history, implicitly categorizing these things as theonly battles we’ll go through, never shedding light on the ultimate war: the battle from within. Some say the hardest and most dangerous battles are the physical ones, but I counter that. I think the hardest ones are the ones we don’t see, the ones that aren’t plastered on the pages of the history books or our imaginations. It’s the battle you can’t run away from or delude yourself so much to the point that you don’t see it anymore. This is a battle we fight from the second we wake up ’til the moment we lay our heads down at night. It may even might spill over to our dreams too.
I, like many of you, have had my fair share of issues and mental battles. Be it not being able to let a situation or person go, reliving past traumatic experiences, or even letting current circumstances and situations diminish our perceived value of life.
Most importantly, it can even be our very own selves devaluing who we are as individuals with negative talk and thoughts. These are just crumbs of the battles our minds wage war against. As Christians, I can see why. Anything physical God can heal or bring you out from under because He has the last say so – not the doctor, not the judge or thief or robber. But God. The one thing that requires our seeking God is the stuff that plagues our very minds because we, ourselves, have to desire to be free from the bondage of our own thoughts. We must work at it and then, allow God to work in and through us to free us. God even asks us to place our burdens upon him and take up his yoke because it is easier than our way or the world (Matthew 11:28-29).
A quote I recently stumbled upon was, “Nothing in this world can torment you as much as your own thoughts.” This speaks to the great severity of the battle of the mind we, as people, have to deal with. Let me explain.
Recently, it was Thanksgiving, the one day where we all should be giving thanks. It’s literally in the holiday’s name. This time of year, we give thanks for the people and things we have and, most importantly, for the delicious food that many of us ate that day. But I was lost in my own head in negativity and depression, entirely because of how I perceived my current circumstances and thought about past experiences, not to mention blatantly ignoring all the good that is currently in my life and all that is to come.
A year ago, I was depressed and enduring the worst heartbreak of my life. My mother lost her husband to COVID, I was struggling in college and did not know what I was going to do after graduation and how I would financially support myself. All the while, I was trying to understand this whole Christian walk and relationship with God. So one could say I was going through a storm of some sort. But on Thanksgiving, my mind just began to think of things that I lacked and wanted, just bypassing what I had and what God has done for me in the last year. I had taken my eyes off God and let the devil burden my mind with worry and calamity. Many of us do this. 1 Peter 5:8-9 states, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” All the little petty thoughts and emotions that I let fog my mind and blind me from what God has done for me and brought me from over this last year were mind-boggling. I let the devil blind me to God’s greatness and righteousness. I’m a college graduate preparing for graduate school, with a great paying job in a field I love dearly. I have my loved ones, which is something many can’t say, especially in the times we’ve endured over the last couple of years. Most importantly I have God, who’s healed me and continues to heal me from many things daily that I thought I couldn’t move past. And simply I’m alive, which is also something many can’t say.
If I could leave you with anything, don’t fault yourself when these types of moments or instances arrise. This is the devil’s sole purpose to us – to steal, kill and destroy us, so please know we’re always a positive thought closer to a brighter day and future. There isn’t a price tag made for our sense of peace and mental well-being.
