Hello beloved child of God, I hope you’re fine by God’s grace.
We’re going further today in the topic of Depression by talking about life-lenses.
What comes to your mind when you hear the term life-lenses?
Actually, when we talk about life-lenses, we mean the lenses through which you see/interpret your life.
Have you ever noticed that two people can go through the exact same thing but react and feel differently about it?
It’s because of life-lenses. It’s because they have different life-lenses. As such they interpret the events of their lives differently.
Everyone has life-lenses. They make specific assumptions about life and events based on the lenses with which they view their lives.
Let’s get an example which I adapted from the Anxiety and Depression Workbook for Dummies.
Samira and Diana work as nurses in a local hospital. They both apply for the same open management position. They are both fervent Christians. They both pray and fast about the interview. They put in their best and they keep it in prayer afterwards. Although they are both well qualified, a nurse from another hospital gets the job.
Samira reacts with anger and comments “I deserved that job, the administration had no right to give that job away. I really don’t feel like cooperating with this new nurse who got the job”
Diana reacts quite differently. She feels gloomy and says “I’m sure they made the right decision by picking someone else. I shouldn’t have left my supervisor talk me into applying, I’m not management material. I shouldn’t even have prayed about that. Even God considered I wasn’t good enough for that ”
Same event, different reactions right? Why do they have different reactions? Because they have different life-lenses.
Samira has the life-lens of “entitled“, she believes that she always deserves the best, that the world owes her, and that whatever she wants she must get it. On the other hand, Diane had the life-lens of “inadequacy“. She thinks that she’s not good enough and that others have more skills, more gifts and more talents than she does. She believes she couldn’t do the job even though her supervisor told her she has the appropriate background and ability.
Samira’s entitled life-lens makes her prone to anger and tension when her needs aren’t met, while Diane’s inadequacy life-lens steers her into depression when her adequacy is questioned.
Samira is the one who in a traffic jam will blame all the other drivers for how they drive, while Diane’s the one who will feel stupid, guilty and ashamed in a traffic jam for having not decided to leave home earlier and for having not listened to the morning traffic report.
As you may have noticed by now, your life-lenses will influence your thoughts and consequently your feelings and your physical health.
These life-lenses can make you or break you.
Proverbs 23:7a KJV
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he
The beautiful thing is, once you know yourself, once you are aware of your default life-lenses and the damages they cause to you, you can start tracking them and changing them by renewing your mind. Is this not what is asked from us in The Bible?
Romans 12:2 NIV
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.
When you gave your life to Jesus Christ, He saved you. He completely changed the state of your spirit forever. He sealed you with His Holy Spirit, but He didn’t renew your mind (“soul”) for you. It’s your job to renew your mind. It’s your job to find out what The Bible says about you and about your life and to start seeing your life not through faulty life-lenses but through the lens of The Word of God.
We’re going to study more about life-lenses in the next few days God willing.
For the moment, just be in prayer asking God to open your eyes so that you may identify the life-lenses which are poisoning your mind and thus your life. Tomorrow God willing we’ll talk about how to identify them.
Prayer
Father Lord God Almighty, King of Glory, thank You for giving me life in Christ Jesus. I want to renew my mind Lord and to see my life through the lens of The Bible. Lord please open my eyes and help me identify the life-lenses which are poisoning my mind and my life, in Jesus Christ’s Name. Amen.
It’s Now Your Turn
In the blog post above, who did you relate more to? Samira or Diane? Please let us know in the comments section.
Your home work today is to invite someone whom you know will greatly benefit from learning how to identify their life-lenses and how to renew their mind.
Don’t forget to share this blog post on your social media accounts and to invite your friends and family members to join us as we’re waging war against depression. You may save a life by sharing.
If you’ve not done it yet, subscribe to my Newsletter so as not to miss any post on depression and also, make sure to invite anyone whom you know is suffering from depression.
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Invitation
Click here if you’re looking for a church. I recommend Elevation Church to you. A wonderful Christ-centered Church in which you aren’t limited by your location and in which you can see what God can do through you.
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God bless you
Victoria Eyog
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