I’ve been taking a look back as I consider the best way to move forward in 2017. I’m excited to have launched Listen When He Speaks, and I’d love to know how to make Fruit of Brokenness the most valuable for other Christians who struggle with mental illness, their own or a loved one’s.
My Broken Brain
My most-read post for 2016, by far, was the story of my 40th birthday.
It’s impossible to fully describe severe depression and anxiety, but readers seem to appreciate honest looks into my head and heart. It’s messy in there. But… God is bigger. Grace truly is amazing. Brokenness yielded to God bears fruit.
Suicide Watch: The Story of My 40th Birthday
The two follow-ups to this post were also in the top ten for 2016.
I learned important things through my suicide-watch birthday experience. People care. I am loved. No one can read my mind. Sometimes we have to make a hard call to keep someone safe. Be encouraged, Friend…
After Suicide Watch: Three Years and a Day
My husband opened up about his experience of the day, from the perspective not only of a husband to someone suffering a mental health crisis, but also as the son of a father who committed suicide.
Jeff’s #depressionis: Something that Needs to Be Talked About
Rounding out the top ten, okay, twelve because it was so close, in no particular order…
“Good health isn’t guaranteed. We must use it to its fullest to fulfill God’s will and, when it fails, we need to trust. Any deficit from our perspective is also part of God’s plan. When our abilities are altered, we need to find the new shape of our service. Maybe you’re finding yourself sidelined at the moment, unable to keep up your typical pace or perform at the level to which you’re accustomed…”
Fearfully and Wonderfully Broken
“Whether or not we are ‘mentally ill’ we are capable of far worse things than we would choose to believe we are. And those of us who are mentally ill are still responsible for our actions if we choose to commit an abusive or criminally antisocial act.
It’s uncomfortable for me to admit what finally drove me to seek treatment for my devastating mood swings…”
The Joy and Agony of Free Will
It can be easy to forget who we are, and who God is, especially when we struggle with depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses.
When Truth defines our understanding of our identity, we are freed and equipped to live as we were created to.
Who am I? Living My Identity in Christ
Why do we think the Follow your heart is good advice?
We know feelings are unreliable. Accepting that is key to managing depression and anxiety. So why do we think it’s a good idea to follow our heart? God warns us it’s a bad idea, and we really should listen.
“Some of us, thanks to genetics or trauma, are more vulnerable to falling victim to the darkest lies, to believing that our lives are not worth living, that they should never have begun in the first place, that the sooner they end the better it will be for those we will only damage more in the long run.” Lies… we can’t recognize them if we don’t know Truth.
I used to have a blog called Found… once I was lost… This post started its life there.
Do you know that desperate, stomach-turning feeling of being out of place? Here’s what I’ve learned about feeling…
As well as writing for my beloved Fruit of Brokenness, I’m also a contributing writer at Defying Shadows and ALTARWORK.
This post sprang from one of my posts on Defying Shadows… and my lifelong struggle with anxiety.
If Anxiety Could Write You a Letter
One book review made the Fruit of Brokenness Most-Read Twelve
Many of the books I review on the blog are from BookLook Bloggers. They send me a free copy of available books I choose in return for an HONEST review. If you’re a blogger, check it out!
“We all have basic, soul-deep needs. Too often we look for fulfillment in the wrong places, from the wrong sources. In her book The Longing in Me, Sheila Walsh uses her own experiences and the Biblical account of David to illustrate how our desires are based in our need for God and can only be met in God.”
Book Review: The Longing in Me
Sheila Walsh’s The Longing in Me: How Everything You Crave Leads to the Heart of God is a great book. But it wasn’t my favorite of 2016. Check out my review of Gillian Marchenko’s Still Life: A Memoir of Living Fully with Depression.
Starting the New Year Right!
Well… It’s exciting for me that coming in at a strong #4, as of 9:04pm New Year’s Eve, is my announcement of an upcoming Scripture reading and writing plan! I still struggle with post-suicidal-depression (and current major-depressive-disorder) self-doubt, so seeing people responding helps me feel I really am kicking off 2017 right on Fruit of Brokenness!
New Scripture Reading AND Writing Plan: Listen When He Speaks
Here’s the latest on Listen When He Speaks. So excited!
Thank You!
Thank you for joining me on my journey. I hope it encourages you on yours.
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