As some of you may know, I attend classes at The Thomas Wernert Center in Toledo, Ohio. The Thomas Wernert Center is a mental health peer support and advocacy clubhouse. I am currently enrolled in a class called "8 Dimensions of Wellness" in this center, where I learn about the many different forms of mental health wellness, as the name of the class would suggest. In today's class, we went over "Occupational Wellness," and I decided that the topic is so good that I need to address it from a biblical perspective. The reason for this is that so many of us Christians with mental illness seem to feel like God does not have a purpose for us and that we are destined to live sad and pathetic, and lonely lives. I personally believe that the Lord has a purpose for all of His children, and in this blog, I will discuss some of what that purpose would seem to be. First off, what exactly is "Occupational Wellness"? My class gave the perfect definition for it, and so I won't add to the definition because my words will not do it justice. The Thomas Wernert Center defines "Occupational Wellness" as the following,
"The Occupational Wellness Dimension involves participating in activities that provide meaning and purpose and reflect personal values, interests, and beliefs, including employment."
Did you notice some key words in this definition? Words such as "meaning" and "purpose"? Also, notice how this definition says that Occupational Wellness is about "personal values, interests, and beliefs"? Basically, when you are experiencing proper Occupational Wellness, you should feel like your activity is causing you to feel like your work has meaning and that you are meeting some purpose in your life. For example, before I began my career as a mental health advocate, my most enjoyable "job" I ever had was when I volunteered at the Canon City Pregnancy Center. I know it may sound odd, but it really did fulfill a void inside of me. For the first time in my life, I felt like I had found my life purpose. To this day, I am still a very staunch pro-life advocate because this is an issue I hold close to my heart. As a matter of fact, when I finally go to be with the Lord, I would like to be remembered as a faithful husband, a great mental health advocate, and a great defender of the unborn.
You may be feeling a little discouraged by what I am saying, but let me assure you that if I can discover God's purpose for my life, so can you. I am nothing special. I am just clay in the Divine Potter's Hands. I will discuss how you can find God's plan for your life, but I will tell you that you most likely will not discover it right away. Sometimes the Lord reveals one's purpose right away, but most of the time it will take a while because He wants to properly prepare you for your task. I've only discovered my purpose about four years ago, and I have been a Christian for more than a decade! So, it requires a lot of patience on your part, as it did for me. I know this may sound discouraging, if you are anything like me, because you want to jump right into your calling quickly. However, some of the greatest people took the long route of being prepared for their calling. You and I are no different.
The first Scripture that I'd like to draw your attention to is 1 Peter 2:9-10, which says the following,
"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
Do you notice the "sandwich technique" that Peter pulls off here? He starts by telling us who we are as God's people, then he tells us our purpose, and then he closes by reminding us of who we are as God's people. According to the Apostle Peter, we are a "chosen race" (meaning we are unique amongst all people), a "royal priesthood", and a "holy nation". Please allow this to sink in for a minute. Peter is telling us that we are royal and holy. Holy means we are set apart for God, and royal means "having the status of a king or queen or a member of their family". When you belong to Christ, you are His family, and since He is a king, this would mean we are princes and princesses in His kingdom. This truth should have a profound impact on you, and if it does not, then I would suggest you take some time to personally meditate on these verses.
The next thing the Apostle Peter does is remind us of our purpose. Notice how after he reminds us of who we are in Christ, the next thing he says is "who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light"? Basically, He is telling us that one of the reasons why God chose us is so we can proclaim the Gospel to a lost and dying world. This should be our primary focus as members of God's kingdom. As John says elsewhere concerning Jesus: "He must increase while I must decrease". This should be all of our motives. We should so desire to make His name known instead of looking for our own glory. Ironically, when we do serve His agenda, instead of our own, that is when we will be more satisfied with our lives. Peter then wraps up by once again telling us who we are when he says, "Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people..." I believe he does this so that we will not forget who we belong to. The reason why this is so important is that it is very easy to allow your success to get in your head. Once this happens, we will begin to think it was our own hard work that got us where we are, and that we do not need God. What Peter is doing here by reminding us of who we belong to is basically telling us that we depend on Him and we should never forget that.
The final verse that I'd like to draw your attention to is Romans 12:1-2, which says the following,
"I appeal to you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable before God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
Do you notice what the Apostle Paul is saying here? He says we should offer ourselves to God as "living sacrifices". In the Old Testament times, God required the saints to offer sacrifices of dead animals for the remission of their sins. After Christ had been hung on the cross, He had already borne our punishment upon Himself for all eternity. We no longer need to sacrifice animals for forgiveness. So, why is there this talk of offering ourselves as "living sacrifices"? In the words of the late Dr. R.C. Sproul,
"The sacrifice that remains is that of a thankful response... Paul will use this sacrificial imagery in verses 15:16 to portray his 'priestly ministry' as an apostle, bringing believing Gentiles as offerings in worship of his Lord."
As you can see, we offer our bodies in sacrifice as a way of thanking the Lord for our salvation. However, it should be evident that a living sacrifice is far different than a dead sacrifice. The difference is the fact that a live sacrifice can move off the altar. This is something we all have to deal with because we are all prone to leaving the altar of sacrifice to pursue our own agendas. This is why Paul tells us that we need to constantly "renew our minds" because even he was aware of this sinful tendency to want to do things our way. So, how do we renew our minds? We do this by staying in His word daily and by participating in the act of corporate and family worship. We are to fill our minds with His word. We will not always be successful at doing this, but if we are faithful in always going to God for everything, then in time, Paul tells us that we will be able to figure out what His good and perfect, and acceptable will is for us.
In closing, I would like to make sure you understand that God may not always have some grand purpose for you. I say this because when I was young in the faith, I wanted to do monumental things for God. I did not realize that God sometimes has us do little things for His kingdom. So, do not get discouraged if you find yourself doing simple things like handing out church bulletins every Sunday. As a matter of fact, Paul tells us that those who have less honor should be treated with greater honor (1 Corinthians 12:23-24). This means that even though you may not have a worldwide ministry, your work is still far more valuable in the eyes of God. So, keep this in mind as you do the work He has planned for you, and it should cause you to do His work with more joy, and then you will find contentment and satisfaction with your life.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, and I hope that this has been a blessing in your life. May the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all.
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
"The Occupational Wellness Dimension involves participating in activities that provide meaning and purpose and reflect personal values, interests, and beliefs, including employment."
Did you notice some key words in this definition? Words such as "meaning" and "purpose"? Also, notice how this definition says that Occupational Wellness is about "personal values, interests, and beliefs"? Basically, when you are experiencing proper Occupational Wellness, you should feel like your activity is causing you to feel like your work has meaning and that you are meeting some purpose in your life. For example, before I began my career as a mental health advocate, my most enjoyable "job" I ever had was when I volunteered at the Canon City Pregnancy Center. I know it may sound odd, but it really did fulfill a void inside of me. For the first time in my life, I felt like I had found my life purpose. To this day, I am still a very staunch pro-life advocate because this is an issue I hold close to my heart. As a matter of fact, when I finally go to be with the Lord, I would like to be remembered as a faithful husband, a great mental health advocate, and a great defender of the unborn.
You may be feeling a little discouraged by what I am saying, but let me assure you that if I can discover God's purpose for my life, so can you. I am nothing special. I am just clay in the Divine Potter's Hands. I will discuss how you can find God's plan for your life, but I will tell you that you most likely will not discover it right away. Sometimes the Lord reveals one's purpose right away, but most of the time it will take a while because He wants to properly prepare you for your task. I've only discovered my purpose about four years ago, and I have been a Christian for more than a decade! So, it requires a lot of patience on your part, as it did for me. I know this may sound discouraging, if you are anything like me, because you want to jump right into your calling quickly. However, some of the greatest people took the long route of being prepared for their calling. You and I are no different.
The first Scripture that I'd like to draw your attention to is 1 Peter 2:9-10, which says the following,
"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
Do you notice the "sandwich technique" that Peter pulls off here? He starts by telling us who we are as God's people, then he tells us our purpose, and then he closes by reminding us of who we are as God's people. According to the Apostle Peter, we are a "chosen race" (meaning we are unique amongst all people), a "royal priesthood", and a "holy nation". Please allow this to sink in for a minute. Peter is telling us that we are royal and holy. Holy means we are set apart for God, and royal means "having the status of a king or queen or a member of their family". When you belong to Christ, you are His family, and since He is a king, this would mean we are princes and princesses in His kingdom. This truth should have a profound impact on you, and if it does not, then I would suggest you take some time to personally meditate on these verses.
The next thing the Apostle Peter does is remind us of our purpose. Notice how after he reminds us of who we are in Christ, the next thing he says is "who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light"? Basically, He is telling us that one of the reasons why God chose us is so we can proclaim the Gospel to a lost and dying world. This should be our primary focus as members of God's kingdom. As John says elsewhere concerning Jesus: "He must increase while I must decrease". This should be all of our motives. We should so desire to make His name known instead of looking for our own glory. Ironically, when we do serve His agenda, instead of our own, that is when we will be more satisfied with our lives. Peter then wraps up by once again telling us who we are when he says, "Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people..." I believe he does this so that we will not forget who we belong to. The reason why this is so important is that it is very easy to allow your success to get in your head. Once this happens, we will begin to think it was our own hard work that got us where we are, and that we do not need God. What Peter is doing here by reminding us of who we belong to is basically telling us that we depend on Him and we should never forget that.
The final verse that I'd like to draw your attention to is Romans 12:1-2, which says the following,
"I appeal to you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable before God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
Do you notice what the Apostle Paul is saying here? He says we should offer ourselves to God as "living sacrifices". In the Old Testament times, God required the saints to offer sacrifices of dead animals for the remission of their sins. After Christ had been hung on the cross, He had already borne our punishment upon Himself for all eternity. We no longer need to sacrifice animals for forgiveness. So, why is there this talk of offering ourselves as "living sacrifices"? In the words of the late Dr. R.C. Sproul,
"The sacrifice that remains is that of a thankful response... Paul will use this sacrificial imagery in verses 15:16 to portray his 'priestly ministry' as an apostle, bringing believing Gentiles as offerings in worship of his Lord."
As you can see, we offer our bodies in sacrifice as a way of thanking the Lord for our salvation. However, it should be evident that a living sacrifice is far different than a dead sacrifice. The difference is the fact that a live sacrifice can move off the altar. This is something we all have to deal with because we are all prone to leaving the altar of sacrifice to pursue our own agendas. This is why Paul tells us that we need to constantly "renew our minds" because even he was aware of this sinful tendency to want to do things our way. So, how do we renew our minds? We do this by staying in His word daily and by participating in the act of corporate and family worship. We are to fill our minds with His word. We will not always be successful at doing this, but if we are faithful in always going to God for everything, then in time, Paul tells us that we will be able to figure out what His good and perfect, and acceptable will is for us.
In closing, I would like to make sure you understand that God may not always have some grand purpose for you. I say this because when I was young in the faith, I wanted to do monumental things for God. I did not realize that God sometimes has us do little things for His kingdom. So, do not get discouraged if you find yourself doing simple things like handing out church bulletins every Sunday. As a matter of fact, Paul tells us that those who have less honor should be treated with greater honor (1 Corinthians 12:23-24). This means that even though you may not have a worldwide ministry, your work is still far more valuable in the eyes of God. So, keep this in mind as you do the work He has planned for you, and it should cause you to do His work with more joy, and then you will find contentment and satisfaction with your life.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, and I hope that this has been a blessing in your life. May the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all.
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
