Mind Matters

Week 1 – I Don’t Like Myself

Sept 20 – 26, 2020

Big Idea

You are loved.

Scripture

1 John 4:7-10, Romans 5:1-8

Ice Breaker

What was one thing you wanted to change about yourself when you were a kid?

Opening Thought

We all struggle with the difference between our desires and our reality. Sometimes our reality falls very short, and sometimes our mind obsesses over what we’re ‘supposed to be’. How we talk to ourselves and about ourselves matters, but we often don’t consider that. If you had to describe the voice you hear in your head, what are some adjectives you’d use to describe it?

Bible Discussion

  1. Read 1 John 4:7-10. What stood out to you?
  2. Read Romans 5:1-8. What stands out to you about God’s love here?
  3. When you compare the two passages, is there anything new or vital that you want to remember this coming week specifically from these passages?

Life Application

  1. In many ways, COVID-19 has initiated a global mental health crisis. How has your experience with this crisis affected you mentally?
  2. Mental illness has traditionally had a taboo or stigma around talking about it in public. In what ways do you think this has harmed families?
  3. Just as physical health can be impacted in large and small ways, our mental health can also be affected. What are some ways you’ve seen this in your own life?
  4. Brennan Manning is quoted as saying in his book, All Is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir, “God loves you unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be, because nobody is as they should be.” What emotions and thoughts does this bring up for you?

Challenge

What can you do for yourself this week to support your mental health? Is it a bit of self-care at night? Do you need to reach out to someone to talk to? What would help you to know more fully that you are beloved of God and of your friends and family? Make a plan for yourself today and then memorize 1 John 4:9-10: “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues, be sure to check out our mental health resources page at communitychristian.org/mentalhealth