The little victories

"Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips."

Proverbs 27:2

No matter your level of mental health. The highs and the lows are real. The challenges and the triumphs occur. There are days that you find yourself feeling on top of the world. And then there are days that you feel like the world is on top of you.

I was recently challenged by someone for saying that they should be proud of the little victories. The changes that they are making. The new directions that they are going. They met me with "but the Bible tells me that I should not be proud." I paused. It does. The bible says "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6)." So then I thought to myself, how would God want us to experience these little victories? And the voice of God through the clouds when His son Jesus was baptistsed came to mind. Matthew 3:17 "And a voice from heaven said,'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!"

The Hebrew translation for pride is "geeh" which translates to arrogant. The Hebrew translation of pleased is "ratsah" which translates to satisfy, accept, approve, favorable, restored, enjoy... The importance of these translations is that proud appears to be a form of arrogance and a boastful action. Whereas pleased reflects a positive acknowledgement of accomplishment. It is hard to imagine viewing a victory with regards to mental health, as arrogance. There is already a level of humility in accepting the struggles, challenges, and symptoms of depression and anxiety. When you think of overcoming such challenges, there is an image of being well-pleased, not one of boasting with pride. With the English translation of proud vs. pleased, you may intercept proud as an accomplishment, in fact pleased is a synonym of proud. As you look at the verses that warn about pride, they are in line with words such as: conceit, haughty, lowly, trapped, and deceit. These words, do not reflect a victory over depression and anxiety. They appear to actually reflect the complete opposite.

The bible also shares with you: "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips" Proverbs 27:2. While someone may be acknowledging your progress, allow them to notice this. But also allow yourself to notice it. In these moments, find that God is overjoyed by your success in overcoming this battle. He is pleased with your progress. And you should be too.

Scripture:

Proverbs 27:2

James 4:6

2 Corinthians 5:8

Reflection:

What little victories have you made lately?

How would you describe these accomplishments?

How might your Heavenly Father rejoice in your victories?

Prayer:

Lord, I thank you for these little victories in my healing. I pray for others who experience depression and anxiety. I pray that they may find peace in these moments, that they may find peace in you. I know that these struggles are real, that they struggles are painful. But Lord, I also know that you are a loving God and that you desire for me a life of victories. I pray that as I experience these moments, that I may find joy, hope, and an ability to be pleased with my progress. Lord, thank you for being on my side. Thank you for being part of my support. And thank you for loving me the way that you do. I know that every time that I am successful, you rejoice. And Lord, as I make progress I rejoice in you. In your name, Amen.