Photo:- Sunset at Lough Owel, near Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, Ireland – Sunday 22 October 2023.
Recently I have the reflecting on the power of positive thinking. I was challenged to do this when I came across a little book in the Adoration Chapel of my local church titled ‘Living Moments of Sunshine‘, written by Italian author J. Maurus who has written over 100 similar self-help books. As I read on I was particularly moved by the author’s reflections and how he married the psychological and spiritual components of happiness, and his empowering words challenged me to let go of my tendency to dwell on the despondency of past struggles and rise to the power of positivity – seeing new beginnings in my life – recognising how my hopes and dreams are being fulfilled according to God’s providence and plans, not my own.
According to Maurus:- “We need to pray for our spiritual and emotional health. The Lord asked us to pray. We are in his care, but He loves to be asked for the help which we need so that we may show our love and care for Him.” Reading this challenged to return to the prayer of praise and thanksgiving. I realised that sometimes in my periods of depression I have succumbed too easily to negative thinking, dwelling on the past disappointments and having fearful and anxious thoughts about the future. I turned to the positive mantras contained in the Bible for living a spiritual, peaceful and happy life and praying the psalms provided many meaningful words of hope and consolation.
In my journey with mental illness and recovery from times of emotional trauma I am grateful to God and the mental health practitioners I have engaged with for guiding me back to the still point, that place in my heart where I can radiate the joy that I receive from my faith to those I meet. With the benefit of hindsight I can see clearly how God has been healing me holistically – physically, mentally, psychologically, emotionally and spiritually, how the presence of the Divine is in each person who helps me and how I too can be a source of blessing to those I encounter, even if I may not realise it.
One of the self-care practices recently recommended to me was attending an art group. Although I was never into art when I was younger nor studied it, I found it very therapeutic and healing to spend a few hours weekly at this activity. My art, like my writing, comes from the heart. Through both I can express both my creativity and spirituality, for example lately I was inspired to do a painting on canvas with one of my favourite quotations from scripture:- “Do not be afraid for I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name, you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1).
As I carefully traced the words of this Bible verse onto the canvas and painted them, it challenged me to believe with renewed conviction the faithful promise contained therein:- that God never abandons us. Even when we stray from his ways, he invites us back to him to receive his healing grace. Availing of the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the Catholic Church is an important way for me to soothe my soul. Being absolved from my sins through the ministry of the priest helps me find spiritual healing and inner peace. It gives me a renewed awareness of my Christian identity as being loved unconditionally by the Triune God who calls me by my name and heals me by his merciful gaze.
