Dear Friends
Welcome to the month of June. The sun is warming, the birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, and the garden is growing.
June has both the longest and shortest days of the year depending on where we are standing! We’re in the northern hemisphere and so 21st June is the longest day. In contrast, those who live in the southern hemisphere experience the shortest day.
It is interesting to observe how the length of a day impacts our personal mental health. The longer the day, the better it is as it breeds happiness and mood uplift. We feel sluggish the shorter the day becomes. In fact, the National health Service invites us to make the most of the weather and Vitamin D via sunshine.
A previous mentor, The late Revd Bob Yule, preached that “there are no good or bad days, but days of grace”. God’s grace is usually defined as undeserved favour. Grace cannot be earned; it is something freely given. We can choose to determine our mental health by residency location or not. Some do by establishing homes in the northern and southern hemispheres and switching between the two depending on the time of year. Two retired friends of mine have done this between the United Kingdom and Australia.
The option to switch residences may be a luxury too far for some of us. However, the positive impact of God’s grace is not subject to location for changing mood swings. It is what takes place spiritually feeding on the internal witness of the Holy Spirit.
We have access to God’s daily supply of unmerited favour and support of the internal witness of Christ inside of us – to regulate mental health and wellbeing. If we are experiencing a rough day of faith challenges, God’s favour gets to work providing spiritual resources for navigation. The bible reading of Galatians (5th chapter) tells us that the Holy Spirit, celebrated last month on Pentecost Sunday, produces: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control”. A good day in contrast means a lesser demand for the same spiritual resources. A Christian Lady once said: “I am happier when I am sad, than sad when I am happy”. We have been blessed with the resources and resilience to make it through each day and to keep on keeping on!
This theme of good mental health dovetails with this month of raising awareness of Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is a common mental health condition caused by traumatic events that can impact physical and mental health. The timely reminder is dedicated to raising awareness and helping people find support for PTSD. You can find helpful resources on our website: Parish Mental Health resources pointing affected persons to appropriate organisations like The Samaritans, Connect Counselling Services and Mind.
Beyond mental health, every day is a gift. We make the best worth of each day until the Lord invites us home. Holding to this perspective helps us to accept each day with gratitude. Our days are not dependent on the location of our residence but outcome of the Holy Spirit’s internal witness to grow a new perspective of God’s plan for living and guidance (or direction of travel). In the words of John C Maxwell, “God is the owner; I’m the manager. Every resource, every blessing I have today is a gift of God”. How lovely! And should we still be suffering with a bad day, I offer another piece of advice in the words of an unknown author: “Smile at everyone you meet, an easy way to make a bad day better!”
Stay blessed with love
Reverend Rickey Simpson-Gray
Parish of Wokingham St Sebastian’s
www.stsebschurch.org.uk
Prayer for June
Lord of our lives and Father of all,
let our thanksgiving prove itself in service
to you, our community and one another,
for your Name’s sake.
Amen.