Embracing Love: The Path to True Fulfillment

and at the same time he says when mental health becomes the only category by which we look at life something begins to shrink and shrivel inside of us because we're made for something more than just a pleasant emotional experience in life mental health ends up being a terribly vague word physical health is relatively clear because it's mostly biology [00:01:45]

and if cancer cells are present or arteries are getting clogged or neurons aren't working right that's a fairly scientific issue what is mental health consist of if somebody sins if somebody lies if somebody steals or gossips or envies are they suffering from a problem in mental health see one of the difficulties is when we move to talking about what life ought to be like we begin we inevitably to talk about ethics [00:02:11]

the idea is we can create a more meaningful life we focus on what's important to us perhaps but Dr Mumford and ethicus observed that his therapist seemed to slide too readily into implying that values are entirely subjective that there are no moral facts this is a theoretically substantive claim one that is controversial among philosophers Dr Mumford tried to engage the therapist in discussion but was brushed off [00:04:14]

here was a situation in which mental health expertise came into conflict with philosophical reflection let alone spiritual or moral reality see to that question uh what does mental health look like the answer in scripture would be Shalom it is a reflection of Shalom there is a way the mind is supposed to be I am supposed to believe uh thoughts and ideas that are true [00:04:47]

I am supposed to desire that which is normal uh uh Noble and beneficial to other people and um when my mind falls short of that Shalom then my life will not be what God wants it to be and will not be the benefit for other people that they need to have from me it's interesting that in the ancient world the stoics were in many way people who prioritized mental health or emotional experience above all [00:05:18]

when Jesus came he did not call us to place the pursuit of mental health or the absence of mental suffering at the core of Our Lives that comes in a single word and that word is love and that's why you can't kind of like you cannot achieve happiness if happiness is your primary goal happiness comes as a byproduct of a certain way of life of a meaningful life [00:06:09]

and the same thing is true of mental health the pursuit of just mental health a pleasant mental experience can be a quite self-centered Pursuit and were called for something more that's why First Corinthians 13 has haunted the human race for 2 000 years now and Paul doesn't write though I speak in the tongues of men and the angels but have not mental health I am nothing [00:06:32]

now remain faith hope and mental health these three but the greatest Israel no the greatest is love and to love will inevitably mean to suffer part of what Eugene writes about is very thoughtful essay is there will be times when we are called to engage that in which mental health considerations alone would prevent us from doing where we will enter into pain and suffering because that is our calling [00:06:57]

if you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give your heart to No One not even to an animal wrap it carefully around with Hobbies the little luxuries avoid all entanglements lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness but in that casket safe dark motionless airless it will change it will not be broken it will become unbreakable impenetrable [00:08:01]

the alternative to tragedy or at least to the risk of tragedy is to is damnation the only place outside heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of Love is hell amazing words I believe that the most Lawless and inordinate loves are less contrary to God's will than a self-invited and self-protective lovelessness [00:08:28]

we shall draw nearer to God not by trying to avoid the sufferings inherent in all loves but by accepting them and offering them to him throwing away all defensive armor if our hearts need to be broken and if he chooses this as the way in which they should break so be it so the word today is love I think of so many of you that I know whose Hearts have been broken [00:09:32]

keep loving keep loving it hurts keep loving offer that love to God and allow it to flow allow it to flow in words allow it to flow in gifts allow it to flow in time allow it to flow in Acts of service today ask God for a heart of love it may be a broken heart because there is no place where you can make a Heart of Love safe from pain [00:10:40]