Hey Friend,
This week we are hearing a lot of conversations around the topic of mental health after the unfortunate passing of Cheslie Kryst, former Miss USA 2019. At the age of 30 this beautiful and accomplished woman jumped to her death.
My heart rips into a million pieces every time I hear a story like this, and I think it’s normal to want to learn as much as we can about what the person may have been going through moments before deciding to end it all.
I remember a similar story a few years ago where another young and accomplished woman decided to end her life as well. One peek into both of these women’s lives (from the outside looking in) and one would think they had it all. They were both successful career women traveling the world with so much to look forward to. But as we all know, mental illness does not discriminate.
When I heard about the young woman who committed suicide a few years ago I started reading through her blog posts and came across her suicide note, and one sentence she wrote gripped my heart for days, leaving me in a state of melancholy.
She wrote, “I have accepted hope is nothing more than delayed disappointment, and I am just plain old-fashion tired of feeling tired.”
Man, I felt that in a way that shook me. At that time, I had been praying and asking God for something specific for a very long time and my heart was sick from the many years of unanswered prayers.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12.
When I hear these stories, I get angry. I get angry at the enemy of our soul whose only job is to steal, kill, and destroy. And because I am fully aware of this, I know the enemy is always behind the evil we see in this world.
That’s why I am so adamant about us all operating in our individual assignments and being able to be used by God because there are so many people who are hurting. I find that so many people are out of position and out of alignment with where the Lord needs them to be and that’s when anxiety, depression, and frustration kicks in.
Perhaps you may be hurting right now. You may feel lost about where you are currently in life. You may long for something so much that at times it may be hard to hold on. The enemy gets us in our longings and desires. Whether that be a longing for (more) success, fame, significance, being married, having a baby, or being seen, if you have a craving that is not being satisfied you may also start to believe that hope is nothing more than delayed disappointment.
In that moment when I started rolling that statement around in my head and pondering over it, these words came back to my memory … And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
In that moment I had to make a choice as to what words I was going to believe because if we are honest, sometimes it’s easier to believe the lies of the enemy as opposed to God’s words because the evidence of the unfulfilled longing is staring us right in the face.
I don’t ever want to be insensitive and imply that mental health is not real-because it most certainly is. (I wrote a book detailing my gruesome decade long battle with anxiety). So, I know how real the struggle is. I know people are looking for answers and there are so many tools out there. But in addition to the tools like such as therapy, I want to also encourage you to lean heavily upon the word of God too.
If I had not known the word of God and had not tucked that scripture away in my heart not even knowing it was there, I may have continued to believe the lie of the enemy and nothing good would have resulted from that.
Friend, I want you to know that you are not alone in your battle to hold onto hope. I want you to know that your hope won’t lead to disappointment.
Here’s what I want you to do. Write out all the negative thoughts you think on a regular basis and find scriptures to memorize to combat those thoughts. And don’t hesitate to find a therapist that can come alongside you and help you process what you’re feeling.
You are needed in this world and you are loved. I pray this life brings you everything you long for and I pray you can hold on a little while longer because it will get better.
Here for you always,
Tiffany
A few more things/helpful resources:
P.S. If you are a career woman, successful in a soul-crushing career and you want to transition into your spirit-led calling I launched a new program a few months ago called, Sacred Side Hustle, for women desiring to make an income while making an impact. If you fall in this category, you can click here to learn more and to apply for the program.
P.S.S. My book Peace Stealers is still getting rave reviews. If you struggle with anxiety and you want to have more peace, this book will help you to do just that. It tackles 21 areas that steal your peace and contributes to anxiety. Click here to purchase. Also, if you have read the book, I would be so grateful if you left a review on amazon. It will help more people to know about the book and sharing is caring :)).
P.S.S. Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and join me every other Tuesday, starting January 11th, for Tuesdays with Tiffany.
P.S.S.S. You are amazing, and you are doing an amazing job. Don't you forget it!