Sheila Walsh - Its Okay Not to Be Okay Study Guide: Moving Forward One Day at a Time

Admit That You Are Stuck and Struggling

There are so many things that happen in life that feel like the slamming of a door.

The end of a friendship you cherished.

The loss of a job.

A divorce you never saw coming.

A child cutting you out of their life.

A devastating health issue.

The circumstances are different for each person, but the feelings of being rejected, isolated, or heartbroken are crushing. What makes many of these situations much harder to bear is that you had no choice, no say in the matter.

chapter 2, Its Okay Not to Be Okay

T he reason it is absolutely critical to do what was mentioned in the last sessionto consider Christ afreshis because life has a way of pulling the rug right out from under our feet, leaving us breathless, flat on our back. Speaking from personal experience, sobbing into the carpet, tears streaming down your cheeks, is a lonely place to be. Surely nobody has ever known this much pain , you think. Surely I m the first to suffer this way! I ll never get out of this mess I m in. Nobody s coming. Nobody sees me. No one cares.

WHATS NOT OKAY

Im isolated, alone.

WHATS BEEN OKAY ALL ALONG

Christ is here with me.

And yet, as well see in this session on feeling stuck, God always sticks right by your side.

One to Ponder

What assumptions or beliefs tend to follow for you once youve perceived that youre alone in your pain?

How many of the items you noted could be considered useful, life-giving thoughts?

Turning to Scripture

Some years ago, I noticed an interesting trend regarding my perceptions of God. When things were going well and I was feeling happy and positive, the prevailing thought was, God must love me so much! When things were not going well and I was feeling down, the prevailing thought was, Where is God? Im all alone.

Whenever my circumstances were positive, I exhibited positive emotions. Whenever my circumstances were negative, I exhibited negative emotions. No surprise, this was a confusing way to live. Eventually, I discovered that the reason for this wild swing in perception was a little thing called focus , focus on what I was thinking about. At all times and in all situations, I was focused on the circumstances of my life. Not a wise or faith-filled approach.

In the following passage from 2 Corinthians, see if you can spot what the apostle Paul said is supposed to be the direct object of our gaze.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

It is written: I believed; therefore I have spoken. Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. All this is for your benefit, *so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.*