“Mental Health” And Spirit

TUES., AUG. 6, 1985, 6:18 AM
FARM, STUDY

The concept of “mental health” (which also implies ill-health) is a fairly strong one in your culture. There is quite an industry developed to diagnose and treat mental illness, which represents both a wonderful concern for the better functioning of persons and the tendency to develop secular, industrial responses to evidences of human need. You know that I shall say that spirit is a major part of this illness in most instances. Listen more intently than you have been thus far to the Spirit’s diagnosis.

Your concept of mental/emotional balance is a good one for the positive statement of this aspect of health or functioning. Maintaining balance is an evidence of health, and also the means for improving such. As an imbalance develops, involving knowledge and feelings/emotions, the person functions less well and has less capability of restoring the balance. It can be a noticeably downward spiral.

A strong spirit, which implies a good working relationship with Me (which may take many forms and is not always formally religious), is a powerful factor in maintaining good mental health and in recovering from developed illness. As I have told you, the spirit is the best unifier of all the dimensions that make up well-being, and any treatment approach that does not acknowledge spirit as an important factor will have little success with most sufferers.

An analogy, which is not a perfect one, certainly, is the preparation of an athletic team for competition. Physical conditioning, knowledge of the game, and developed skill in playing it all are important. But unless there is a team spirit, which includes the spirits of individual team members, that team is not likely to be successful when the competition is tough. For spirit includes purpose… the reason for functioning well that goes beyond the reasonable and obvious. Spirit includes the desire to sacrifice for the good of all. And spirit, particularly when linked rightly with Me, includes the capacity to forgive mistakes and to “come back” from predictable defeat.

Spirit demands interaction. That interaction can be with other humans, with animals, with aspects of the earth, with other spirits and/or with Me. In general, when I am not included spiritual development cannot be as great, but otherwise the form or style of interactions is not important. Interaction means that you are putting yourself forward (even as one vulnerable), seeking response and you are responding to the overtures of those beyond yourself. Without Me you could be doing something like this Teaching, but you know it would not be comparable. On the other hand, what I, the Holy Spirit, have to say would remain undisclosed if you were not willing to interact with Me.