1. Read Hebrews 11:7-34. Dr.Sherr talked about how so many of our heroes of faith had some sort of mental struggle. Which story stands out to you the most?
2. When you consider how God used the heroes of our faith despite their mental distress, how does it make you feel about God’s ability to use you and the struggles you experience?
3. Dr. Sherr mentioned that “why” is the wrong question to ask when we are in the midst of a mental struggle. What did he say was the correct question?
4. God can use what you are going through now to help out someone down the road. How does that statement resonate in your heart?
5. Dr. Sherr said that healing can come when we decide to take action and seek help. Can you share a time when you reached out to someone for Godly counsel? How did that work out for you?
6. Read Psalm 23:4. Pastor James said that we can’t just ask God to take “it” away because God meets us in the valley and often does His greatest work there, it becomes an oasis for us. Can you share a time when God worked in your life in the valley?
7. Remembering what God has done in the past can help us through the struggle today. How does knowing God is with you every moment encourage you or give you the courage to keep going?
8. Dr. Sherr said the question we should be asking is: “What does God want to do, and how does He want to use me through this struggle?” How would framing your thoughts along these lines help you make sense of your struggles?
9. Someone asked Dr.Sheer the following question: “If God is so good, how can I reconcile my faith in the midst of the struggle that I am in?” His response was to go and read Genesis 1 & 2 again and again. Based on the first two chapters of Genesis, what would you say to someone if they asked you the same question?
10. Pastor James said we need to “Change the narrative we tell ourselves.” The narrative we tell ourselves in our flesh is always false. We need our story to be God’s story; this is why spending time in God’s word is so important. How important is it to shape our lives based on the correct narrative?
Homework this week:
Dr. Sherr and Pastor James expressed that our life stories are a narrative. With that in mind, take some time this week to think about your life story in relation to a horizontal line (like the one below), which we’ll call your lifeline. Think of your earliest memories until now in chronological order, and record only the most memorable events. If needed, you may use another sheet of paper to create a longer lifeline. Focus on positive and unpleasant memories. Move across your lifeline in order, recording only events and not details of the events.
Positive memories should be represented by a line that ascends vertically, with the length varying in relation to the intensity of the positive emotion associated with the memory.
Unpleasant memories should descend from the horizontal line, varying in length by the intensity of the negative emotion you experienced during the event.
Label each of the vertical lines with a brief description of the event.
Some vertical lines may bisect the horizontal line if you have both positive and negative emotions associated with a memory.
Good Experiences
Birth —------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Today
Bad Experiences
Now look over your lifeline and make observations.
Do you see both pleasant and difficult experiences over the course of your life?
How can this realization help you when you are suffering from a depressed or anxious state of mind?
Read 2 Corinthians 1:3-11. According to these verses, why might God allow difficult and disturbing events in our lives (verse 4)?
One powerful truth discussed by Dr. Sherr and Pastor James is that there is only one perfectly constructed narrative. In light of that truth, what might God be teaching you about how He can use your story to fit into His one true narrative?
Another astonishing realization about our personal life story is that we have the opportunity to write it from where we are now with eternity in mind. How does that give you hope? What is your response to that hope?
Dream about what that reality could mean for you in service to others. At your next meeting, share your thoughts and dreams with the rest of your group.