Review: Relationship, Rest, Remembering, Resilience

1) Restoration requires honesty with ourselves and with God

• Be honest with yourself

Psalms 139:23-24 (NIV) Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalms 119:28-30 (NLT) I weep with sorrow; encourage me by your word. 29 Keep me from lying to myself; give me the privilege of knowing your instructions. 30 I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by your regulations.

The idea in these psalms is to ask God to reveal the hidden things of the heart and then be honest with what’s revealed.

An important step of mental wellness is tied to having an honest assessment of yourself.

• Be honest with God

  Psalm 145:18 (NLT) The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth.

  We can’t fix ourselves. Being courageous and asking Jesus for help is essential.

  Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT) Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy
  burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am
  humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to
  bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

The yoke implies that we are not bearing our burden alone, but with Jesus.

Psalms 23 (NIV) The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. 2 He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me besides peaceful streams. 3 He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to His name. 4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. 5 You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. 6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

Jesus wants to shepherd us, lead us, strengthen us and protect us.

2) Restoration comes through the help of others

Colossians 3:12-14 (NIV) Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 


Part of being restored is not ignoring the broken things others see in us. Often those closest to us more clearly see our dysfunction and wounds.

Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12 (NIV) Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: 10 If either of them falls down, one can help them up. 11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. 


We are hardwired for relationship with each other. Without relationships, we falter under the weight of shame, condemnation and misbeliefs. We become an open target for Satan.

Galatians 6:2 (NIV) Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Be honest and get help from trusted Godly people. Depending on the level of hurt and pain, sometimes we need a Godly, trusted counselor.

3) Restoration takes time and new habits

Restoration requires right expectations of God, yourself, and others.
Part of getting healthy is acknowledging that you still wrestle with your sin nature.

Romans 7:21-25. (NIV) So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Restoration takes time (Israel from Egypt, they wandered for 40 years)
resilience (to surrender broken coping mechanisms and lies to God and others)
surrendering your fear, pride and shame (relinquish control to God)
truth (remember what is true, rejecting lies of the evil one)
repentance (turning from former beliefs and patterns)
forgiving those who’ve hurt us (entrusting justice to God)

For Small Group Discussion:

Read/Tell the Story: 2 Samuel 12:1-10 (Read 2 Samuel 11 for context to this passage)

Questions:
How did David get to the place where he justified actions like adultery and murder?
What techniques did Nathan use to help David see his fault?
In what situations do you struggle with having the hard conversation (like Nathan did)?
How do you tend to respond when someone brings sin or conflict to your attention? How would you respond if someone approached you like Nathan did?
In what situations do you struggle with asking forgiveness?
How has God confronted sin in your life? Has he used people or circumstances as a wake-up call?
Who in your life has permission to say the hard things to you? Have you told them they do?
What accountability guardrails do you have, in order to keep you from straying too far off the path?
Which of the 5 elements (Relationship, Rest, Remembering, Resilience and Restoration) do you need to focus on to become more healthy?
What will you do to make time to address your emotional wellness?