Rising from the Deep

A faith-based mental health blog about rising from the depths after hardship and living a life worth living. Inspired by Psalms 71:20-21.

Welcome to Rising From the Deep

The Inspiration behind Rising from the Deep

Psalms 71:20-21. 
20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities
    will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
    you will bring me up again.
21 You will increase my greatness
    and comfort me again.

Dear Risers,

Psalms 71:20-21 is a collection of verses that have always stuck out and truly resonated with me, making me feel heard and understood by God – and thus is the essence of Rising From the Deep. I mean.. those verses are saying something so real. God does allow us to walk through some valleys but He brings us out of them when we’re willing to take the path He’s set before us- a beautiful sight to behold. In life, many challenges and hardships are faced by people, ordinary and extraordinary, no matter who they are or where they come from. I think we can all agree that none are exempt from this. But even with those challenges and hardships, not many people are rising up when it’s all said and done.

What I’ve learned from my own personal journey is that it’s healthy to face our realities and acknowledge our problems because they have an effect on how we think, how we feel, and how we live. After all, how can we heal from things we don’t admit are real or solve problems we deny we have? For some people, that is food for thought and if that is you, it is the beginning of a mental health journey that I hope you will consider taking. Acknowledging pain we feel or problems we face does not strip us of our power but actually allows us to take it back. How? Because accepting reality will only empower us to take responsibility and do what’s needed to properly take care of ourselves.

Living life from a numb place can be emotionally damaging and stunt our progress, personally and/or professionally. People might be led to self-medicate through mediums such as smoking, getting drunk, partying, overworking, entertaining toxic relationships, etc., without getting to the root of the problem. But these “solutions” will only serve to desensitize or distract people from their painful realities. They don’t solve the underlying issues which means they are unproductive in nature, and in many cases, they can also cause other problems to occur as well such as addiction.

What does it mean to Rise from the Deep?

Rising from the deep is about acknowledging that while life is unfair, hard, and messy, there is a promise at the end of it. Your story doesn’t end with your issues or your traumas. It blossoms from them and in turn, it grows you.

We can’t always have sunshine, no matter how much we wish for it. The storms will come in this wild and at times painful journey called life. But keep it in perspective: in order for flowers to grow, it’s essential for them to have some rain showers too.

To truly rise from the deep, acknowledging our pain and problems is key so we can address them properly and heal. It is a mindset, folks! We have to be real with ourselves first and then love ourselves by being proactive in our approach to emotional healing and mental wellbeing. I promise you, we can rise!

What Rising from the Deep will touch on

So what will the Rising From the Deep Blog be talking about? This blog is going to touch on mental health topics, faith talks from the Christian perspective, self-improvement content, a journal page where I will cordially invite you into my thoughts for the day (hoping you can relate), and posts about pop culture (with book, film, and song reviews), and will even feature an adventure/travel page where I will visit a new place or attend an interesting event and write all about it.

This will be my way of participating in an open challenge for people who are homebodies craving adventure and desiring to explore, despite their innermost apprehensions. The ultimate goal is for this challenge to increase confidence and provide some joy and excitement for the aspiring adventurer.

I hope you will take the plunge to rise from the deep with me because if we can admit we’ve all been through some heavy stuff, we can come out of it rising above it all through a healthy lifestyle that stimulates us mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. It is my heart to truly build a community here and if all goes well, I’d love to add a page where I can share testimonies of God’s goodness working in your lives. I’m looking forward to hearing and sharing your stories.

Let’s rise from the deep together!

With love,

Elan