Lynda's Blog

  This week a friend cried as she confided that her grandson had tried to commit suicide. Poor mental health well-being is an epidemic that is rising every year and my country has one of the highest youth suicide rates in the world. In my parent’s day, depression was not recognized as an illness, but rather as something akin to self-pity or a poor attitude. I recall suffering from post-natal depression and when I confessed to my mother how black everything seemed, and how I couldn’t imagine any future, she said, “Oh for goodness sake. You have a new baby, you have everything to look forward to. Stop being silly and get on with it.” Now my mother was a wonderful, loving and caring mum and grandmother but she was simply repeating what her generation were told. In fact, she quite possibly suffered depression herself and just had to “get on with it!” I took myself to the family doctor who said, “Yes, you have the clinical symptoms of depression but I don’t like prescribing drugs. Y...

  Dear Lyndy Lou, I have loved watching you grow and appreciate your kind heart, although I notice that you do get into scrapes because you don’t know how to say ‘no’ to your friends. I also see that you are being enticed by the world and you yearn to experience those things that some of your friends are doing. You think you will have more fun by being in control of your own life. This is a lie. Those rules you think are holding you back from the good life are in fact designed to not only keep you safe but to give you life in all its fullness. Having control of your own life is scary and leads you to make choices that can hurt you. Trust God, believe He has your very best interests in mind because He loves you deeply. Stay friends with other believers and see how much fun you can have without compromising God’s standards. Life lived for God is never boring; in fact it is the opposite, it is hugely rewarding. Even when life is difficult, trusting God will build strength, courage...

  I am so blessed to have a circle of really good friends in my life. I am a definite introvert so find it really easy to simply stay home, especially if I have a good book to read. I am an avid reader of Christian fiction. However, I do know that it is better that I have some socialization. Research shows that isolation increases the risk of an early death as well as the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease so obviously I want to avoid that if possible. Research also shows that socialization is good for brain health including making your memory sharper as well as increasing well-being and feelings of belonging. Although as an introvert I find socialization can be a little exhausting, I do enjoy time with my friends and it makes me happy. Introverts tend to have a few very close friends whilst extroverts tend to be friends with everyone and find socialization energizing—strangers are only ‘friends they haven’t yet met’! Now that is of course a very broad generalization, but i...

  Hard to believe spring is on its way when it is so cold and there is snow in many parts of the country, let alone the heavy rain that continues to flood communities and destroy homes. However, my narcissi seem to think spring is already here and I have a wonderful display in my otherwise fairly bare garden. It is a delight to gaze out of my window and see the promise of spring to come. I am going through a bit of a spiritual winter currently. There is so much happening in the world—devastating severe weather events, COVID still circulating, wars and threat of wars, dishonest politicians, evil seeming more rampant by the day, prayers for family and friends seeming futile. I find myself wondering why God allows all that He does. I am finding it hard to trust Him at times, He seems far away and my heart sometimes feels burdened with despair. I lean heavily on His Word during these times. I only know what I see through my human eyes. God sees the future, He knows how the story...

  There is nothing like meeting a long-time, very good friend for a weekly coffee and something yummy to eat. We generally go to the same café each week, as they have a great selection of food meaning we can indulge our taste and steer free of our food intolerances. We take turns providing transport and often have a little conversation that goes like this: “Where shall we go today?” “Would you like to go to …..?” “If you’d like to.” “Will they have a good gluten free selection?” “I’m not sure but I’ll find something.” “Let’s just go to the usual. We know there is food we both like there.” “Sounds great.” So we go to the ‘usual’. We know that not only do they have good food, but they also have great staff and make an excellent cup of coffee. We can generally find a corner table where we will be undisturbed, even if we stay for a couple of hours (which we regularly do). We talk about all sorts of different subjects—our families, the new exciting thing at church, p...