It’s Essential: No Jesus, No Peace

“God cannot give us peace and happiness apart from Himself because there is no such thing.” C.S. Lewis

Upon graduation from college as a nurse, I began working at a mental health center for youth. I thoroughly enjoyed this job. The responsibilities in nursing to start IVs, give injections, and insert other objects into people’s bodies, frightened me and mental health nursing appealed to me as it seemed less likely that I could harm someone. Anyways! I liked listening to their stories and felt I could help these teenagers overcome unhealthy ways of overcoming their issues. But, over time I became discouraged. As a nurse tech, I didn’t interact as much with the parents but as a nurse, I began to sit in the meetings with these families. I saw so much brokenness in these fractured families and it seemed that the child was just a pawn in so many situations. I knew no other solution but to share Christ with them and teach them to pray. I knew they were with me for only a few weeks and then they had to return to their broken families where true love didn’t seem to exist. By helping them find faith and giving them the tool of prayer in Jesus’ name, I could give them the one thing I knew would be with them in their darkest moments. Obviously, in a secular hospital setting, this was frowned upon. I left mental health care at this point and decided it was better to take on the responsibilities that came with being a nurse in a medical setting.

I’ve often reflected back on those days as I struggled myself with anxiety and depression. One thing I know for certain is that I cannot talk about my personal struggle without saying this: it is impossible to overcome mental health issues outside of Jesus Christ. I can’t lead you out of the darkness you are in without leading you to the Savior sent for all people. To know that you were created by God for a relationship with Him and that you are an eternal being with higher purposes and that this is an essential truth that is foundational to healing. Anything else is a bandaid that will come right off when difficulties arise.

You may think, “Ann, how can you be so certain about this?” The Bible has many promises to support this. Over the next few blogs, I will be sharing several of these with you. I personally have seen God move more times than I can count and I hope to share many of these with you. Here are a few of the times that come to mind.

1. I watched a man come back to life at his funeral. I’m a nurse practitioner and pronouncing death unfortunately is something I’ve had to do on occasion. I know how to find a pulse and I know what a state of rigor looks like. That is the state I found my friend in. As I joined in with the 20 or so believers asking for Jesus to come and give life again to my friend at his funeral as the coffin was being put together next to me, I watched breath go back into his lungs as he leaned to cough and take his first breath. What he saw during this brief encounter with death, brings me to tears each time I hear it. (To read this story:https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/local-lazarus-becomes-bold-witness-for-christ/ )
2. I’ve watched demons come out of people after causing such terror in their bodies as to attempt to kill anyone near them. Demons know things. They say things when they take over a person and they can do and say things that are impossible for one to do or know outside human abilities. Only the name of Jesus can send demons out and only by confessing and turning from a life lived previously outside of Christ will demons leave a body to never return.
3. Personally, I have spent the past 22 years of my life, laying everything I love on an altar to Christ. What do I mean by that? Jesus says “you cannot be my disciple without giving up everything you own” (Luke 14:33). My distant and close relatives, my husband and children, my physical health, my friends, my happiness, my finances and belongings, and my beloved Siberian husky are all His. They are not mine. He has taught me step by step to put everything into his hands and I do not own any of it. Now, I am still growing in giving all to Him but I will always be on the journey of less of me and more of Him. How does this prove God exists and that He loves me? That’s the greatest miracle of all: I am taken care of, I am free, I am content, and I am filled with peace, purpose, and overflowing love that is indescribable and incomprehensible to the world around me.

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That is the foundation of healing. I can’t lead anyone on a path that I haven’t traveled myself. That is possibly how I am different than your family, friends, and therapist. I have traveled a path and on that path I fell into a deep dark well. I cried out “please God get me out!” but He said to me, “I’m not going to quickly heal you, I am going to teach you the way out so that you can teach others the way out of the darkness.” Little did I know how long that would take and how thoroughly He would sustain me and those around me as He walked me out of that dark season of life.

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If you’ve read this far, I am glad you are still with me! Let’s continue on this journey together. I have so much more to share and we have only gotten started. If you would like to share where you are on this journey feel free to comment here or email me: contact@acoffeewithfriends.com.

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