What comes to your mind (excuse the pun, haha) at the mention of mind health?
There is a lot of information going around these days about ways to strengthen our minds, to counteract stress and physical and mental breakdown, in all kinds of ways from nutrition to drugs to exercise to meditation to mindfulness.
What constitutes a mind? Is it your psyche, your brain, your emotions, your thoughts, your conscience, your will, your soul or spirit?
Is your mind the core of who you are? What if you ‘lose your mind’?
My father died at the age of 94, but five years before he died he suffered a major stroke, causing complete loss of memory and ability to speak.
Before that happened, I thought it would be unbearable to me if one of my parents were ever to lose their mind in some way. However, surprisingly, although he didn’t even exactly recognise me any more, he was still there!
His essential character, his spirit, his mind, shone out of his sparkling eyes! It shone right through his inabilities. What a gift was given to me, to see that his physical and mental limitations didn’t really matter so much after all. In fact in a way his mind was renewed, as some of his previous mental barriers were now gone. For example, he now loved to have a hug, something that in our family had never been done much.
Although most of his ability to speak was gone, there were two phrases that he repeated over and over again. One was “Apple pie!” and the other was “Rejoice and rejoice!” Yes, his mind/soul/spirit were happy, even as he sat tied into his wheelchair, wheeling around and around in circles because only one arm still worked.
What was the key to his amazing mind health in spite of all odds?
From the time he was a young man, my father fed his mind on God by learning about Him, meditating on Him, reading the Bible, and praying. He lived in the Spirit of God all the time, conscious of His presence. He praised God in word and song as he went about his day. The fruits of the Spirit of God were evident all the time in his life: joy, peace, love, kindness, patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
The first chapter of the Bible tells us that God created people in his own image. I believe this refers to our minds.
Our minds are connected to God and to each other as well. Jesus said that the most important rule to follow is to love God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. And the next most important rule to follow is to love others as we love ourselves (Mark 12:30).
When these connections are open, health flows into our minds. In John chapter 15 we read Jesus’ description of God’s love flowing into us when we dwell in Him, just like the sap flowing to the branches of a vine. He says that when we do this we will be filled with His joy to overflowing! (verse 11)
So lets feed our minds on God and allow His amazing love and power to fill our whole beings. Our minds were made for that!
