Kim Gilliam Steele
Mental Health Awareness
Updated: Apr 18, 2022
Depression weighs us down like a rock in a river. Sometimes we feel like we don't stand a chance. We can fight and pray and hope we have the strength to swim, but sometimes, we have to let ourselves sink. Because we will never know true happiness until someone or something pulls us back out of that river--and we will never believe it until we realize it was ourselves who saved us along with God.
Through all of my struggle and pain I want people to know that when we look at the storm of life and become afraid, God is there protecting us from the winds and lightning! I will gladly tell them my story and let them see that God is still working! Has anyone ever said to you, “God never gives you more than you can handle?” Don’t you hate that? That’s because it’s not true. Sometimes, God gives us far more than we can bear so that, by our prayer and the prayer of others, we will rely on Him only, so that when God delivers us, we will be comforted. With stronger faith, we can comfort others when they are going through their own trials.
The two hardest tests on the spiritual road are the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what we encounter. Nobody is exempt from the trials of life, but everyone can always find something positive in everything even in the worst of times.
We will encounter many obstacles in life. We will also make mistakes. We should always be grateful for both. Our obstacles and mistakes will be our greatest teachers. And the only way to not make mistakes in this life is to do nothing, which is the biggest mistake of all! Life gives us what we settle for!
Our challenges, if we let them, will become our greatest allies. Mountains can crush or raise us, depending on which side of the mountain we choose to stand on. All of history tells us that the great, those who have changed the world, have all suffered great challenges. And, more times than not it's precisely those challenges that, in God's time, lead to triumph.
If we choose defeat, it will damn the soul. The difficult road we are called to walk may, in fact be our only path to success. We have to remember that we are the bended, but we are not broken. We are the power of the thunderstorm. We are the beauty in the beast. We are the strength in weakness. We are the confidence in the midst of doubt.
I need for everyone to be reminded that you are never alone! When you feel like your mental and emotional inner lives are not in a healthy place, you need to find trust in God, family and friends. Don’t try to get through it on your own. Sometimes inspiring words from people who deeply understand can be helpful in our mental health journeys. No one should ever feel alone or rejected. We shouldn’t feel our only way out is taking ourselves out of the equation because the devastation it leaves on a family is unimaginable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming!
If there is anyone who is struggling or think their life is not worth living anymore, please reach out to someone. Don’t sit in that pit of hell! There are so many people who take their lives every day because they felt this was their only way out or felt they had no one! Let’s try and stop these increasing numbers because it is real! 🙏🏻💜💛#mentalhealthawareness #suicideawareness #PTSDAwarenessMonth