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Elijah was a Super Hero.  He had just called down fire from the sky to devour a whole bull, a huge stone altar, and twelve whole barrels of water!  In a contest with 450 priests of Baal, Elijah had just destroyed them, and proved God was the true God, not Baal.  Then when his nemesis Queen Jezebel called for his head, he shot off like a blur, running through the countryside at inhuman speeds, until he was safe.  What gave this average man these superpower abilities? God of course!  Elijah must have been feeling pretty awesome after that, and I can imagine when he stopped he shouted “Eat my dust Jezebel!”.  Would it surprise you to know that what Elijah actually did was lay down under a tree in the desert, and wish for death?   

Have you ever felt sad for no reason?  Been surrounded by family and friends and felt lonely?  How about at the top of the world one minute and down in the dumps the next?  Felt anxiety that made it difficult to even function?  A lot of people deal with these feelings day to day, and sometimes it is just a normal part of life and being human… but sometimes, when these feelings or behaviors overwhelm continuously, or make it impossible to function, that can be a sign that you are suffering from a mental illness.  Mental illness isn’t anyone’s fault, and in fact many people suffer from mental illness, about one in 5 people, or 20% of the population.  Half of mental illness sufferers have symptoms before the age of fourteen.  Some common mental illnesses are mood disorders, schizophrenia, anxiety and panic disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Social Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD, ADD), Autism, Alzheimer’s Disease, Alcoholism, Bipolar Disorder, Eating Disorders and many more.  You can’t just will it away, and you may feel hopeless and alone, maybe even ashamed…. but you shouldn’t!  It’s nothing to be ashamed of, and not only are your parents there for you, but myself and Autumn are here if you need anything, and most importantly, as cliché as it sounds, so is God.God sent an Angel to Elijah when he lay under the tree wanting to die, and the Angel brought him food and encouraged him.  The Angel didn’t say, “Dude, what the heck?  You just opened a can of Yahweh on those haters but you are so depressed you want to die?”  He just was there for him, he understood, and gave him some food.  Then God himself even appeared to Elijah, to help him out of the depression he was in, and give him instructions for what to do next.  God didn’t chew him out, or give him a hard time.  God understood, being a human is hard, and people suffer from depression, or other mental illnesses.  I’m not saying that when you are down, or suffering from depression, etc, that an Angel will drop in with Whataburger (even though that would be pretty awesome).  But God definitely cares about you and is there for you during those times.  Times when by all logic you should be happy but aren’t.  Times when you are dealing with a difficult life change, or have experienced the loss of a family member or friend.God will be there for you, just as much as he was for Elijah.  You are just as important to him as a Prophet!  Remember that God can “help” you in many ways, like speak to your heart, or give you the strength to talk to someone about your feelings, or the courage to get help from a counselor or doctor.  God can also help you through other people in your life, so when God’s helpers come, let God work through them to be what you need during your struggles. 

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.  Deuteronomy 31:8

~Brooke Seals

Numbers you can call ANYTIME if you just need someone to talk to:

Autumn and Brooke (713) 201-9828

Crisis Call Center
800-273-8255 or text ANSWER to 839863
Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week
http://crisiscallcenter.org/crisisservices.html

Depression and Bipolar Support 
800-273-TALK (8255)
Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week 
http://www.dbsalliance.org

You just woke up, and you can hear your belly rumbling as you rub the sleep from your eyes and plop down at the breakfast table.  Mom walks over and grabs your face, and you prepare yourself for a good morning kiss on the cheek.  Instead she tilts your head upwards and in your horror you hear gagging noises and smell waffles and syrup, then you pull away and find yourself backed against the stove.  “Honey, what’s wrong?” Mom says, walking towards you, a confused look on her face, “I’m just trying to give you your breakfast… I thought you liked waffles!”  Your stomach rolls as you realize you were about to get pre-chewed breakfast like a baby bird does, straight from your mother’s mouth!

Wow, that’s nasty.  At least that is what you are probably thinking right now.  Okay I understand baby birds, or animals…. but humans?  Who in their right mind would want to eat regurgitated food?  Well, lots of people when it comes to SPIRITUAL food.  Many Christians prefer God’s Word to be pre-chewed before they swallow it.  Christians like this mean well, but they swallow whatever they are told without checking for themselves what God’s word says, which leads to slow or no spiritual growth.  Spoon feed Christians, also known as Baby Christians, or Immature Christians, are mentioned by Paul in Corinthians: 

I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.                                        1 Corinthians 3:2

At a certain point in a Christian’s life, it is expected and even helpful to them to be given spiritual milk, or be spoon fed.  Young children for example cannot read, so of course their parents, teachers, and priests will read them the Bible and teach them what it means, until they are able to do so for themselves.  That is right and proper, as Paul said, they aren’t ready for solid food (AKA reading and understanding scripture on their own).  But Paul was talking about grown adults! 

Too many people assume young adults and teens are either uninterested in, or unable to read the Bible and study and think critically to decipher the meaning for themselves, growing spiritually.  I know from experience, and especially from being around the youth at St. Catherine’s, that you all have what it takes, and I don’t need to always “spoon feed” you, or give you pre-chewed regurgitated spiritual food.  Some things to remember when studying God’s word:

1)     Context is Important
            -Reading the Bible is like time travel
            -Knowing the history and destination help us understand why and how
2)     Read the Bible for Yourself
            -Take notes, research, and discuss with others
3)     You don’t have to be Spoon Fed
            -Never let anyone tell you that you can’t understand scripture for yourself
            -There’s nothing wrong with being taught by others, but questions and debate are good!
4)     The Bible is your story, read from within
            -Allow yourself to be in the Word
            -Let it speak to you where you are in your life Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.          2nd Timothy 2:15-16

Christian literally means Christ like, and we all know we have quite a ways to go to be just like Christ.  Therefore it stands to reason that the whole purpose of Christianity is to grow and mature spiritually.  Being like Christ is our goal, and so is growth!

Let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity.  Hebrews 6:1

~Brooke Seals