The Eclectic Evangelical-Arlene Bridges Samuels : How to Cope

Great Smoky Mountains

Coping skills are important but we must make sure we choose the healthy ones. When gray clouds of anxiety are floating over me I sometimes tend to cope by shoving my worries and painful situations into a box of unresolved emotions. I push the box into the far corners of my emotions hoping that the lid will stay on.
Yet, in reality, it’s an opportunity for the enemy of my soul to launch a covert operation which undermines my relationship to the Lord and my general well being. The unresolved, stuffed emotions float into my mind with negative messages blocking out the truths our Lord provides with His presence and His easily accessible words to me in the Bible.
Here’s the best way for me to cope: 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV) “Cast all your anxiety on Him for He cares for you.” Cast ALL anxiety on the Lord. Not just one. ALL.
Casting my anxiety on the Lord means authenticity. He already knows my heart but talking with Him about it begins the process of handing over the anxiety or pain.
Instead of stuffing a box full of unresolved pain and worry and compartmentalizing it, I choose to call out each one and envision myself placing it in a box and handing it over to the Lord. He is the Burden-Bearer. He bore our sins to the cross. Handing over my troubles to Him releases freedom into my spirit. I breathe deep, thanking Him for His loving kindness. I breath Jesus in, I breathe worries out.
Matthew 28:30 is the Lord’s promise to me when I hand over my box! “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” For me, this process is a discipline. I must switch the repository of troubles from me to Him! I hope you are encouraged today to cast your cares on the Lord!

A Tapestry of Churches

A splendid tapestry of churches has ripened my faith with fruit from many good trees; as a missionary with Mercy Ships in a crew I describe as a "Christian United Nations," and also living in Switzerland and Romania-plus moving around the United States.

Growing up, my Southern Baptist church laid my foundation built with singing the great hymns of the church, where to locate books of the Bible, and scripture memory. Through my youth group, I encountered the Lord in a personal way on July 31, 1963.

Presbyterians fed me at a buffet of Protestant theologians especially my favorite one, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and emphasized God’s sovereignty.

In The Episcopal Church, I waded into two different streams, one liturgical and the other charismatic. In the liturgical "high" Episcopal church, I feasted at the Eucharist each week and navigated the ups and downs of kneeling. In the charismatic Episcopal church, I connected more deeply with the Holy Spirit, finding freedom to raise my hands in joyful worship. As a member of a black church on then-small Hilton Head Island, the pastor and choir fed me with vibrant songs and eloquent sermons.

Living in Switzerland, we enjoyed worshipping with other ex-pats in the Church of Scotland. During our eight years with Mercy Ships, the world's largest private Christian hospital ship, we sailed the seas with a crew from 35 nations-among them South Sea Islanders who introduced us to their lovely, worshipful dances. On the mission field living in Romania, my senses delighted in the Romanian Orthodox Church replete with incense and gilded, intricate altars.

In a non-denominational church with contemporary music, I engaged with believers from varied church backgrounds and joined a small group. At the Church of God, I worshipped in a Pentecostal setting in a distinctly pro-Israel denomination that displayed the American and Israeli flags. Belongling to a small Anglican church I relished liturgy, weekly Eucharist, missions outreach to Rwanda, and acoustic guitars.

Transferring from small Anglican to big Baptist, I have reconnected with my chidlhood biblical roots where I feast on hymns sung by an outstanding choir and orchestra, an excellent Sunday School class, bible-focused sermons, and a prolific domestic and international missions focus. Last but not least, the Jewish community and expert Hebraic roots teachers have opened a door of deeper understanding that Judaism nurtured Christianity in an ancient cradle rich with commandments, festivals, wisdom, poetry, patriarchs, prophets, and Older and New Testaments. Significantly, learning more about Jewish culture and Christianity's Jewish roots has deepened a richer relationship with my Savior, a Jewish Rabbi. I've received an extraordinary gift as a non-Jew grafted into the branches of the ancient Jewish tree connecting me to Israel, my spiritual homeland. .

I invite you to walk with me through a lifetime of adventures reflecting a tapestry of faith that I hope will encourage you in your journey to discover extraordinary beauty and limitless fulfillment of our Christian faith.

In Him we hope, Arlene

How to Cope

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