January 09, 2024 | Resources | Discussion | Adult by James B. Angus, Jr.
FLOURISH | JANUARY 7, 2024
SEEKING SHALOM
Josh Graves
- The bible acknowledges the reality of human suffering, and many psalms, in particular, express deep emotions and struggle. For example, Psalm 34:18 (NIV), "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Discuss how you hear this particular text?
- Proverbs 12:25 (NIV) mentions, "Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up." This verse can be seen as encouraging support and understanding for those going through emotional challenges. Discuss how this text speaks to any anxiety you may have encountered?
- Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV) advises, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Discuss how you take your anxieties, concerns, stress, etc., to God. Discuss what you would like to change about this.
- Romans 12:2 (NIV) states, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will." Discuss how changing the way we might think of our situations could help deal with spiraling thoughts of anxiety.
- Common thinking issues: Discuss those you might have encountered.
- All-or-nothing thinking: Seeing things in ‘black-or-white’ categories. If something isn’t perfect, you see it as all negative.
- Overgeneralization: Taking a single negative event and thinking things will never be different for you. You use words such as “always” or “never” when you think about it.
- Mental filter: Taking a single negative detail about an event and being unable to see anything positive about it.
- Discounting the positive: Ignoring positive things by saying that they “don’t count.” For example, if you do a great job, you may tell yourself that it wasn’t good enough or that anyone could have done it as well as you.
- Jumping to conclusions: Thinking you know how things are or will be even when there are no facts to support your ideas. Such as: Mind Reading – Thinking someone else believes negative things about you when you do not actually know that as truth. Fortune telling – Thinking that things will turn out badly no matter what. You may tell yourself, “I’ll never get better” even if you do not know if it this is true.
- Magnification: Overestimating the importance of your problems and what isn’t working and not noticing your good qualities.
- Emotional reasoning: You think that your feelings are reality. For example, “I feel angry, so that means I’m being treated poorly.”
- “Should” statements: Telling yourself that things must be the way you hoped or thought they would be. Should statements can lead to feelings of guilt and shame if you make them about you. Should statements can lead to feelings of anger if you make them about others.
- Labeling: This is like all or nothing thinking when it is directed at yourself. Instead of saying “I made a mistake” you attach a label to yourself such as “I’m a loser.”
- Personalization and blame: Blaming yourself for an event that isn’t under your control. Blaming can lead to feelings of guilt, shame, and anger.