I was in a training session the other day about taking a biblical approach to anxiety and depression counseling, and a picture came into my mind about our perspectives in life that I would like to share. I oftentimes see pictures in my head as people are talking…movie clips, analogies, situations from my own past etc….and the feelings that the images depict for me help me to understand the feelings that may be occurring in my clients’ lives. Today I’d like to share with you the pictures I experienced.
So, in the training we were talking about fear, anxiety, and depression. At one point, the presenter shared a quote about worry, and how “Worry is letting whatever you are worried about become bigger than God.” So I began to think about that, about how my personal belief is that nothing is bigger than God, and about how it is our decision to make it our perspective that the thing we are worried about is bigger than God.
Next, the picture that pops into my mind….the moon. Why, praytell, would the moon be the thing that pops into my mind, you ask? Well, I saw the movie Apollo 13 not so long ago. In the movie, Tom Hank’s character looks up to the night sky and holds his thumb up and covers the entire moon with his thumb. Later on in the movie, when he is near the surface of the moon in Apollo 13, he looks out the window and sees the earth. He raises his hand to the window and this time covers the entire earth with his thumb. In reality, is his thumb actually big enough to cover the whole moon, or the whole earth? Of course not. Something so small can only cover something so big if our perspective of it is just right.
Here’s the point. The closer we get to God, the more He becomes the only thing we can see. The further away from Him we choose to be, the more little things can cover Him up and make Him appear as though He is not there. If we put our thumb right next to our eye, we can make that thing be the only thing we can see, and we are unable to see anything else.
The proper perspective becomes the key. How big is this problem you are having when you contemplate the size of the city, the country, the world, the universe? The wider your perspective, the less critical each problem becomes. When problems become less critical and we can see a broader picture and more information, keeping things in the proper perspective, the result is more visible solutions.
Have you ever felt stuck in a situation? Stuck with your anxiety or depression, perhaps? One of my mentors used to say to me “Over-Serious = Stuck.” This is what he was talking about…having a too-close, or too-serious, focus which keeps us from seeing the forest for the trees. One of my goals in therapy is always to help my clients “back up” in their point of view, to broaden their perspective. It lessens reactivity, opens up options that couldn’t been seen before, and brings about more feelings of peace. This is the case whether you believe in a Higher Power or not.
Kinda scary what happens in my mind, huh? LOL. That’s OK, I’ve learned to harness it to help others, and it keeps me learning and growing. Hope you enjoyed the trip!
Healing Hearts provides counseling services to the surrounding communities of Indianapolis, Fishers, Carmel, Zionsville, Westfield, Noblesville, and Geist. E-Counseling is available for residents of Indiana. Call or text today to set up your appointment. 317-218-3038
© 2015 Nancy Eisenman, MSW, LSW
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