This story was originally conveyed in Mark Rutland’s book Character Matters: Nine Essential Traits You Need To Succeed. My pastor repeated one of the stories during a series he did called Virtue. Simply an amazing series. Couldn’t help but share the story.
A woman, suffering from great depression goes and spends 6 weeks speaking with a psychiatrist. At the end the psychiatrist says to the woman:
“I’m going to write you out a prescription for something that I think will cure you.”
“Wow, that’s awesome!” She takes the prescription from him and reads the following:
Go to Niagara Falls, NY. Check into a hotel. Leave your suitcase. Go to the falls. Stand on the bottom observation platform and look up at the falls every day for 5 hours. Repeat this for a week and you’ll be cured.
Much to her dismay and confusion she says “What – you quack! I spend 6 weeks coming here and pay you almost $1000 and THIS is what you tell me – go stare at a waterfall?? Are you kidding me??”
He says “Lady, I told you to talk about anything you wanted – anything that’s going on in your life. And all you talk about is yourself. Your dreams, your nightmares, your worries, your fears, your past. The ONLY thing you need…is to see something bigger than you are.”
I can remember pulling my head back and blinking a few times when the reality and meaning of that story had time to settle in. Being single is hard in one respect in that you have to consciously think outside of yourself - a deliberate action. Let me rephrase that - I have to make it a deliberate action. Woe is me, right? I can hear all of you “married with kids” people saying it now. Well, I think it’s true though - you have to think about what and who you are thinking about if you plan to create or maintain friendships and relationships. I understand that as humans our “nature” is to be selfish, but I hate having that "living in defeat" attitude…and yes I do mean HATE. Self centeredness is most certainly what this world is happy to cram down the throats of every human being 24/7.
Maybe that’s why on Sunday’s I never cease to be amazed – it’s those moments in which I stop thinking about myself that capture my heart. Those moments when you see people kneel at the altar and think - they each came in here with a need to be met and with no reservation kneel on the altar to bend the ear of a most loving God who desires to be in an abiding relationship with them.
It’s the reality that there will only person who could ever meet those needs - God. It’s “the power of God working through the hearts of man”. It's God working through us in certain times, that changes circumstances...and helps the helpless...and gives hope to someone who has lost theirs...and allows us to think of others before we think of ourselves. It's not us, it's Him working through us. It's us acknowledging who He is - to revere him, to respect, admire, honor, think highly of, esteem, hold in high esteem, hold in high regard, look up to.
I was privileged to hear a husband and wife speak this past Sunday about life as a missionary in Burma. I almost can't type those words even now, when I recall the things I heard. My heart and my head was burdened when I left. Suffice to say, there are needs that they have and that the people of Burma have that only God can meet. More about them later.
It’s the reality that there will only person who could ever meet those needs - God. It’s “the power of God working through the hearts of man”. It's God working through us in certain times, that changes circumstances...and helps the helpless...and gives hope to someone who has lost theirs...and allows us to think of others before we think of ourselves. It's not us, it's Him working through us. It's us acknowledging who He is - to revere him, to respect, admire, honor, think highly of, esteem, hold in high esteem, hold in high regard, look up to.
I was privileged to hear a husband and wife speak this past Sunday about life as a missionary in Burma. I almost can't type those words even now, when I recall the things I heard. My heart and my head was burdened when I left. Suffice to say, there are needs that they have and that the people of Burma have that only God can meet. More about them later.
I’m horrible and endings, so…there’s that…thanks for stopping by.
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