Category: Religion

Enjoying the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I just love this time of year. The lights, the celebrations, the dressing up in Christmas finery to attend plays and parties. I listen over-and-over to Christmas songs I’ve heard and sung a million times, spend too much, eat too much, and stay up way too late binge-watching Christmas movies, which we now have a healthy collection of in the Owan home.

In spite of the world’s sorry state, we can set aside the sometimes-drudging reality of our lives to live in wonder—the wonder of heaven tearing open the thin veil between Heaven and Earth, God’s spirit indwelling human flesh, the beginning-of-time prophesy being fulfilled, the hope and promise of prophesy yet to come, the real beginning of the march toward Easter sunrise three to four months later.

 

I don’t care if the dead of winter really wasn’t the Lord’s true birth date, or the Catholic Church borrowed the green winter solstice tree from the Druids and Celts and re-invented a celebration in order to appeal to the pagans to join the church. (Happy Winter Solstice Day, by the way.) I don’t even care that celebrating birthdays was a pagan tradition (who knows that kind of stuff now, anyway, except the Jehovah’s Witnesses, some Messianic groups, and trivia buffs?) and Christians didn’t want to celebrate it because of that. (The real practicing pagans believe that evil spirits lurk around during days of major changes, like the day you turn a year older.)

Jesus said, “I make all things new.” And this time of year, I’m going with that.

The genius author Charles Dickens managed to re-focus Christmas into a worldwide celebration, (if you haven’t seen the movie The Man Who Invented Christmas, you’re missing out!) where people set their hearts on others and try to bring joy into someone else’s life (and there are a lot of people who need some extra joy). Dickens shed light on the terrible plight of the poor (which he had experience in) and opened people’s hearts to look around them, to see beyond themselves, to lighten the burden of the downtrodden and disadvantaged.

To make people think about how God views our attitudes and behavior toward our fellow man. (Something that should stay with us all year.)

Of course, we have gotten carried away with the commercialism, but we can turn away from that and enjoy the holiday for what it is—a time to truly turn our hearts toward and honor and celebrate the birth of the man known as

  • Immanuel (God With Us)
  • Wonderful Counselor
  • Almighty God
  • Prince of Peace

 

In the back of my mind, I know January 2 is coming, when the festivities will end, I’ll need to reconcile my checkbook and finances, my monthly income will drop like a rock for half the year in order to satisfy the social security taxes due for 2019, and I’ll be back to living out the day-to-day, which isn’t always very exciting, or forgiving.

But today, and for the next several days and especially Monday night and Tuesday, all day, I’ll be celebrating. It’s a veritable peek into the wedding feast of Heaven I’ll enjoy some day.

 

I hope that’s what you’re celebrating too!

 

Until next time—quiet or boisterous—make it a very Merry Christmas!!

After all, if you are a follower of Jesus, you have MUCH to celebrate!

So Rejoice!!

Blessings,

Andrea

May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2).

Christmas: When Love Came Down

I really miss performing in yearly Christmas pageants and musicals, especially at church. Not only did the dramatist in me love them, they were truly my first introduction to Jesus, (that I can remember), and who He is. An introduction that shaped my vision and view of God and of Christmas itself very early in my life.

But as in so many churches, ours has gone the way of a worship band playing on a “stage,” with nearly every aspect of High Church ornamentation and ritual stripped away. And I’m left with playing old Christmas programs CDs on my stereo system and blaring the beautiful old songs—that taught about God’s love and majesty and His son’s miraculous birth—throughout my house. They bring back warm memories.

 

One of those particular programs is called “When Love Came Down.”

 

But we don’t always think of Christmas that way, do we? When Love came down. When the Creator of the Universe chose to come to this mean earth in the form of a lowly baby, with one purpose in mind: to restore mankind’s relationship to the Father and provide a way for us to spend eternity with Him.

He gives that opportunity to everyone.

Now that’s what I call love!

Perfect, sacrificial, unconditional love.

 

Love goes way beyond how we normally regard it, how we conceptualize it. And amazingly enough, science backs up the power, majesty and mystery of it! Here are just some of the ways love unleashes its power on us (compiled by Guideposts Editorial Intern Alyssa White for Feb/Mar 2018 issue of their Mysterious Ways magazine):

 

  • According to the HeartMath Institute, the heart produces a strong electrical field that can be measured from several feet away.
  • When asked to rate foods, people in loving relationships experienced sweet and bitter foods—even water!—as sweeter, reported the journal Emotion.
  • A UC Davis study of 32 couples found that staring into your beloved’s eyes for three minutes can cause your heartbeats to sync up.
  • Love letters are good for you! An Arizona State [University] study showed writing affectionately about someone you love—either romantically or platonically—can lower your cholesterol.
  • Cuddling and holding hands releases natural painkillers like oxytocin in your brain, according to data from UCLA.
  • A German study found that men who kiss their wives before work live five years longer, earn a higher income, and are less likely to get in a car accident.
  • A study in California noted that gazing at a photograph of a loved one can measurably decrease physical pain.
  • When a mother focuses her attention on her baby, her brain waves synchronize with her baby’s heartbeat, the HeartMath Institute says.

And here’s a fact that drives home just how powerful—and lasting—real love can be:

 

 The heart never forgets. Neuropsychologist Paul Pearsall observed that heart transplant recipients sometimes retain their donor’s memories.

 

That last one is hard to fathom, isn’t it? But it tells you where memories may really be stored.

 

In the heart.

 

When I think about Jesus and His love for us, I find it more amazing.

He came to Earth with the sole purpose of saving us; of giving us a hope and a purpose; of providing the way to eternal life through his death and resurrection.

He did it because He had us in His heart. You, me, everyone.

And He still does. Two thousand years later.

 

He never forgets us.

 

And that’s what Christmas was and still is about.

 

When Love came down.

 

If we spend our week leading up to Christmas meditating on God, Jesus and that mysterious, miraculous love, I have no doubt our heartbeats will sync and our lives will be much sweeter!

 

UNTIL NEXT WEEK, (Christmas Eve), meditate on Jesus and His love, write and send a love letter to someone special, dig out a photo of a loved one and meditate on it, and spend some time cuddling and holding hands with your sweetie!

Ain’t love—and its power—grand!

 

To explore more interesting facts about love, go to Guideposts Love Facts. (Guideposts.org/LoveFacts)

 

Blessings,

Andrea

May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2).

When Life Reschedules Your Week, and You Go With It

Do you ever get to a point where you feel as though you just don’t have anything to say?

I got to that point this week, which is why I didn’t have anything pithy to write for my Friday post. So I didn’t.

Actually, I think I was more pre-occupied with other events going on in my life this week that pre-empted any original thought.

Another week when life got rescheduled—

I’m still struggling to recover from my bone spur surgery. That seems to be coming along, although it’s still a one-day-good, the next day not so much experience. But then the right knee I injured while on Camino has started to give me fits. To the point that I sometimes have difficulty walking on it. Actually, more than sometimes. I think I’m headed back to the doctor sooner rather than later. Even though I have a degree in an area of sports medicine, and I’ve a multitude of injuries, it never ceases to amaze at how injuries of any kind can make you feel so tired, and (sometimes) sick!

Then my younger son decided to come home early for the holidays. Either he really misses us, or he just needed time in familiar, soothing surroundings to, as he put it, “clear his head, be able to think, and get some sleep.” I guess the first semester of law school does that to you!

Anyway, we’re thrilled to have him home; and I needed to stock the house with a lot of food, which included buying his favorites. That meant a grocery store run I hadn’t penciled into the schedule.

We managed to catch a long glimpse of the space station as it circled past us. Can’t remember the last time we were treated to that view. (I wonder what the astronauts are doing for Christmas?)

Then my beloved had a medical procedure yesterday morning that required my attendance. All day.

Suffice to say that life just slowed down for us, we visited a lot with one another, decorated the Christmas tree, enjoyed egg nog in our moose mugs, and made final decisions on Christmas gifts. And we slept in REALLY LATE this morning (Friday)! It was glorious.

 

So I still have nothing profound to say today, but I will be back  next Friday with a final Christmas post for you.

And be sure to join me Monday when we’ll look at the mysterious ways of love!

Until then,

take some time to really enjoy all the season gives you! And don’t feel obligated to take part in everything available to you. Save some energy to really enjoy a few things.

Blessings,

Andrea

Signs and Symptoms of Chronic Depression (aka Dysthymia or Persistent Depressive Disorder)

 

“I’m in shock!”

“She always seemed so happy.”

“I didn’t have any idea.”

“Everyone loved her! She was so talented and had so much to live for.”

“I just never knew.”

 

The horrible reality of High Functioning Depression (HFD)—

Unfortunately, these are some of the first comments you hear following the suicide of a depressed friend or family member.

The survivors didn’t know. They were so surprised, didn’t have any idea.

Unfortunately, this is so often the tragic scenario. We’ve experienced a couple of these tragedies in my own hometown in the last couple of years. Young men who seemed to be blessed with talent, personality and great families. A bright future ahead of them.

Little did their adoring friends know they suffered such internal pain and turmoil.

But why don’t we know and recognize that pain?

Is it because we’re just not really paying attention to others, their actions and words? We’ve lost our empathy for others? We’re afraid to reach out to others to divulge our pain?

Or is it because we just don’t recognize depression in others or happening to us?

Or maybe it’s just really difficult to diagnose, like High Functioning Depression can be.

 

Become familiar with HFD or Chronic Depressive Disorder—

Due to the recent suicides of high-profile people, it seems depression is gaining more attention these days. With 350 million people worldwide and 3.3 million people in the United States suffering with this serious disorder, you’re bound to know someone who is chronically depressed. A family member, co-worker or friend may be suffering with, so it’s important to learn more about the disorder.

 

Know the warning signs of High Functioning Depression—

Because sufferers can look and act normal—and even be successful, high-achieving, and social—recognizing and diagnosing persistent depressive disorder is sometimes challenging.

In this wonderful infographic by my friends at BetterHelp, you’ll discover the warning signs and symptoms of what is known as High Functioning Depression, also known as

 

  • Chronic Depressive Disorder
  • Dysthymia
  • Persistent Depressive Disorder

 

The kind of depression your seemingly happy family members or super-efficient, successful co-workers might be suffering from.

 

People like—

  • the popular student
  • the successful lawyer
  • the smiling co-worker

 

BetterHelp gives you the:
  • Signs
  • Treatment options
  • Risk Factors
  • The two sides of high functioning depression

 

A timely topic—

And what better time of year than the holidays to discuss this issue? The time when so many of us feel overwhelmed with life, exhausted and depressed by the expectations of others and of ourselves, at a time in history when we spend so much time comparing ourselves to others on social media platforms, and become depressed about our own lives in comparison to others’.

Christmas can be a challenging time of year for anyone, but for someone who suffers from depression—any kind of depression—it can be particularly rough. They may be even more fragile than normal at this time of year.

That’s why I’ve chosen now to provide you with this beautiful infograph my friends at BetterHelp have put together. In it they highlight:

 

  • The definition of High Functioning Depression (HFD)
  • The risk factors associated with HFD
  • The 2 sides of HFD
  • The signs of HFD
  • The treatment options

 

Please take the time to read this information-packed graphic BetterHelp has put together for you. If you identify with it, hopefully it’ll prompt you to seek help from counselors, like the licensed experts at BetterHelp, who are trained to help you heal and conquer this and other types of depression.

 

Are you or a family member suffering with high functioning depression?

For all of you going through life pretending to be happy, this may be the wake-up call and permission you need to admit that you’re not, that you want and need help.

Print it off and hang it up in a prominent location at work, maybe the break room, water cooler, or on the notice bulletin board.

Know that you and your family members, friends and co-workers are not alone, and others want to come alongside you to help.

 

Get the help you need—

To learn more about depression, go to BetterHelp.

And if you think you or someone you know is suffering from persistent depression disorder, or any kind of depression, don’t wait any longer to get help.

You can contact BetterHelp to connect with a licensed expert. You’ll learn more about how online therapy with a licensed therapist can help you; and they’ll walk you through the process of finding the best therapist for you, all from the convenience, comfort and privacy of your own home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Until next week,

bring some hope—and help—to the hurting.

Blessings,

Andrea

Andrea Arthur Owan is an award-winning freelance writer, speaker, teacher and blogger. Her nonfiction and fiction work has appeared in books, secular and religious magazines and newspapers, teaching manuals, devotionals and theater productions. She is also a certified fitness pro and licensed, ordained chaplain.