It's been a struggle recently for me. I've just not been myself for several weeks. I have all the symptoms of depresssion but not a ton of answers as to why, just a few. Thankfully, as much as I've tried to just deal with it on my own, others have not let me. My wife, for starters, has stepped in to get me back on track. Secondly, some of my closest brothers here that noticed something was off, and are helping to get me back on track. Well...iron sharpens iron. That implies that sometimes, we all grow dull. But to get back to our true form, we can't do it alone. We need the help of others, and that's how God designed it. Don't keep others are arm's length. Let people in close, especially a spouse or a friend that sticks closer than family.
#SetYourMindAbovePodcast
It's been a struggle recently for me. I've just not been myself for several weeks. I have all the symptoms of depresssion but not a ton of answers as to why, just a few. Thankfully, as much as I've tried to just deal with it on my own, others have not let me. My wife, for starters, has stepped in to get me back on track. Secondly, some of my closest brothers here that noticed something was off, and are helping to get me back on track. Well...iron sharpens iron. That implies that sometimes, we all grow dull. But to get back to our true form, we can't do it alone. We need the help of others, and that's how God designed it. Don't keep others are arm's length. Let people in close, especially a spouse or a friend that sticks closer than family.
#SetYourMindAbovePodcast
Hey everybody, and welcome back to the Set Your Mind Above Podcast! I’m your host BJ Sipe – I’m a Christian, a preacher, a husband, and a father. In this podcast we take everyday, ordinary events and explore how they can teach us extraordinary, eternal truths. I’m so glad that you joined me for this episode. Now, let’s open up our minds, our hearts, and our Bible’s together.
This podcast takes a lot of different forms sometimes, doesn’t it? Sometimes it is very light, cheerful, and silly in the approach that we take to the lessons that we learn from everyday things. Other times this podcast is pretty heavy in nature, and we cover some pretty difficult subject matters. And then there are the podcasts where I let you in to my life and my psyche maybe a little bit more than I’m comfortable with, but it’s important to share some important lessons with you that I am currently learning. Well, today is one of those podcasts, where I’m going to be as vulnerable as I can be, because some of the lessons that I am being reminded of right now I hope will be beneficial for you as well. Let me start by saying this: I’m okay, but I’m not okay. Let me explain. I’m okay in the sense that everything is going to be okay, and I know that. I am taking the right steps forward and working towards some changes in my life and my schedule to make it that way. But as it currently stands, I’m really struggling with some things right now in my life. Over the past few weeks especially, I just have not been myself at all. I have been quick to get frustrated, especially with our kids, which is not the kind of parent that I want to be or normally aspire to be. I cannot focus on anything. I will read and re-read the same paragraph in a book 3 or 4 times before I can actually process what I’ve read. I was playing racquetball yesterday and multiple times I would just kind of space out – as I watched the ball go right by me and I wouldn’t even try to hit it. After it had bounced several times and the guys I was playing with were just kind of looking at me, it was only then that it dawned on me I was supposed to hit that. I have struggled with my sleep – insomnia really. My mind is wide awake and there are about 6 or 7 times over the past couple of weeks that I cannot drift off to sleep until about 2 or even 3 in the morning. Last night my wife finally made me take some Unisom, basically a sleeping pill, and I finally got my first good night’s sleep in a long time. More than anything, I just feel…empty and depleted. Multiple times throughout each day I just feel like crying for really no good reason at all. As I’ve listed all these things, it does not escape my notice that I have all the classic signs of depression. Last night Kylie and I stayed up and we talked for a couple of hours about what might be contributing to me getting to this point. We have a good idea of some things that it could be, and a plan going forward as well. I’ll be seeing my doctor early next week to talk about some of these things, as well as getting on a phone with a few of my counselors I’ve seen over the years to help me work through some things too. But I’ve got to share something special with you that has happened over the past couple of days too. So last night we showed up at Bible study, and I was teaching the adult class downstairs. While I thought the class went very well, it was very apparent to a few of the men I’m very close to in class that something about me wasn’t right. Jonathan Leber was the first to pull me aside right after class and he just asked, “Is everything okay? You just don’t seem quite like your normal self tonight.” I opened up to him and after talking more on a phone call today, he and his wife Christi are coming over to our house tonight to visit and pray with us. Before we had even arranged this, this afternoon around noon Jimmy Godbey was the next to call me. He said, “Dude, I just wanted to check in on you. I might be wrong, but something just seemed to be different about you and I just love you and wanted to see if everything is okay?” I about started to cry right there in my coffee shop as I opened up to Jimmy on the phone too. I’ve felt pretty alone recently for a couple of reasons, but today I was reminded that is certainly not the case. These men, who I have grown so close to over these last few years, knew me enough to notice and cared enough to ask. It was exactly what I needed to kickstart me getting back on track and getting the help that I need moving forward.
And I know that they are not the only two. In fact, I am sure that I will probably get an influx of messages in my inbox or phone from others that love me and just wanted to check in on me after reading this. But these two men reminded me of two very important truths that I wanted to share with you today. The first truth is simply this: it’s okay not to be okay. I want you to consider the following popular passage from a little bit of a different perspective, and it’s found in Proverbs 27:17, “Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another.” I’m certain that you heard this proverb before, that iron sharpens iron. But allow me to challenge the way that you view this passage by doing just some basic critical thinking: why do you sharpen a knife? Or maybe a better way to ask the question is this: at what point does something need sharpened? Is it not because it has grown dull? It’s not performing up to par like it normally does, and it needs some help to get it back to where it was before. Iron cannot sharpen itself, it needs another to help it to do so. Here is the truth that we learn from this proverb – all of us, at different points in our life, grow dull. We just aren’t ourselves, and we struggle to accomplish the tasks that we normally are very capable of doing. So how do we get out of that place? The temptation is to try and do it by ourselves. We convince ourselves that we don’t need help, we don’t need to talk about it, we don’t need medicine, or whatever else it might be. But the fact is we do. I’m in a season right now where I need to be sharpened, and to do that I need help from others. Iron sharpens iron. But I also want us to consider another point that is very important for us to remember, also from the proverbs. We read in Proverbs 18:22, followed immediately by Proverbs 18:24 the following two things: “A man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” and also, “One with many friends may be harmed, but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother.” It is in our rougher moments that we are often reminded of our greatest blessings. Here in Proverbs 18, we are reminded of two things to never take for granted, but also to always go to when you’re feeling that dullness. And those two individuals are your spouse, and your closest friends. My wife is my rock. I don’t know where I would be without her and without her constant support throughout our marriage. I think as a husband, it is really easy for me to want to shield my wife from my problems and conceal them from her. However, nothing can be more harmful to a marriage or to my own getting back on track. He who finds a wife finds a good thing – my wife is a gift from God. My problems are not a burden to her, just like her problems are not a burden to me. We are life partners, and we need to lean on each other. God is teaching us that he has designed our relationships in such a way that we should never be alone, especially to those who are married. Open up to your spouse, let them listen, and let them comfort & support you in your hard seasons. Secondly, there is something very special about having close friendships. People that notice when something is off, and then care enough to ask and help. People that are not simply takers in your relationship, but are frequently givers and seek to find ways to selflessly serve you. I really don’t know where I would be without guys like Jimmy & Jonathan, they are some of the ones that stick closer than even if they were my own brothers in the flesh. Don’t take these relationships for granted – thank God for them and ensure that you are there for them when they need sharpened too. But above all, let them be close. Don’t keep people are arm’s length and in the dark. People can only be as close as we allow them to be. Let them in. They are God’s gift to you, to help you, support you, and encourage you in your time of need. If you’ve been where I am or currently am in the same kind of season, open up & let these kinds of people in. You will find great healing from such people, who are gifts given to you by our God.
Thank you for tuning in to today’s episode, and I would invite you back Tuesdays-Fridays for a brand-new episode each day. If you haven’t already, be sure to find us on Facebook for occasional announcements and special video sessions. If you have benefited from this podcast, please if you’re able be sure to share it with someone else that you think could benefit from it as well. Until next time, know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each & every day set our minds above.