I’ve watched all the Disney princess movies- many more than once. Or twice! In our house we preferred the Disney Princesses with mischief in their eyes & sass mixed with sparkle (like Princess Merida in Brave or Rapunzel in Tangled)
We celebrated when Princess Leia became a Disney Princess.Our children were introduced to the epic adventure of Star Wars from a young age. I have cute photos of a little Luke Skywalker wielding a light saber beside our very own Princess Leia with blonde hair twisted into buns. Hours passed on the planet of make-believe.
Fairytales aren’t always sweetness & light & ‘happily ever after’ For every damsel in distress, & prince that’s trying to save her, there are witches, dragons, wolves & allsorts of darkness lurking!
The real-life stories of princesses (& actresses) are rarely straightforward & carefree.Carrie Fisher (the actress who played Princess Leia) struggled with drug addiction & Bipolar Disorder.
Carrie Fisher wrote in the Huffington Post:
‘At times, being bipolar can be an all-consuming challenge, requiring a lot of stamina and even more courage, so if you’re living with this illness and functioning at all, it’s something to be proud of, not ashamed of. They should issue medals along with the steady stream of medication.’
Sometimes we can feel smug & sorted about what we’re dealing with. A sense of pride when we feel calm & controlled.We can be functioning well despite emotional baggage & unwelcome diagnoses.We can project the best versions of our broken selves.
At other times we can be highly functioning but a little fragile just beneath the surface . We can feel we’re just one small tug on the thread away from totally unravelling.
As we journey through life unwanted labels are stuck on that we can’t take off.
Depression.Anxiety. Stress. Burn out. Anorexia.Psychosis.Bipolar.
The labels extend beyond mental illness to physical ones & our current status in life:
Single.Divorced.Childless.Bereaved
& to our children:
Autism.ADHD
In my day job I give labels & discuss labels given by specialists. Of course diagnoses have their place to aid treatment. But some diagnoses hurt & sting. They bring tears to our eyes & put an ache in our hearts.They can be life-altering & life-limiting .Some labels we give ourselves can affect us too. Energy-sapping. Growth-stunting.
After a brief moment of self-sufficiency we realise we’re haven’t got it all together.
Whatever our story, our struggle, our label,
We’re not doing life on our own.
We’re not holding on,
We’re being held.
Jesus’ words echo deep:
‘Apart from me you can do nothing.’
(John 15:5 ESV)
Without God we are like a dead twig. Lifeless. We couldn’t breathe-let alone get through a day without Him
As Jesus-followers struggling with mental illness & emotional health, we can’t function without:
God’s grace & strength
A supportive circle of family & friends
Necessary medication
Daily doses of God-Words
Conversations over coffee (talking to the right people)
Fellowship- being the church even when we don’t feel like it
Counselling to get us on track
Whatever else it takes -running reading,writing,caffiene,chocolate(…you name it)
And I’ll write it again-above all, we can’t function without God Himself!
He is close to the broken hearted (Psalms 147:3) He knows the name of each twinkling star in our galaxy & galaxies far,far away. (Psalm 147:4)
Even more amazingly, He knows my name- He knows your name. He calls us by our name- not only our first name but our true name, our new name given by God:
‘And I will give to each one a white stone, & on the stone will be engraved a new name that no-one understands except the one who receives it’(Rev 2:17-NLT)
God gives us names, not nick- names or derogatory names to pull us down but rather new names to build us up:
Precious
Chosen
Sought-After
Cherished
Truly Forgiven
Deeply Loved
Never Forsaken
Forever Blessed
Mine
Daughter of the Most High God
His perfect love casts out fear (1John4:18)
‘Fear calls out our doubts; God calls out our names.’(Bob Goff)
As we respond to Abba, calling our name, we will know that He is:
Always Faithful
Always There
Always Enough
{No matter what}
Our Good,Good Father knows our name & our heart, our struggles & our failures, yet truly loves us.
‘His love never runs away or wavers. It extends into all of those places where you feel most unloveable, where you can’t imagine he would want to go. Those parts of you that cause others to run away are the very parts of you that God runs toward.’
(Tullian Tchividjian)
‘The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.’
(Psalms 147:11 ESV)
‘If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.
If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it.
He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.
Whenever you want to talk, he’ll listen.
He can live anywhere in the universe, and he chose your heart.’
(Max Lucado)
Blessings,
Ruth x
PS If doubt & fear seem louder than the voice of God calling your name listen to:
You say-Lauren Daigle
I am who you say I am– Hillsong
No longer slaves-Jonathan David & Melinda Helser
Good good Father-Chris Tomlinson
Blessed! 