Agency & Gratitude: mental health & Faith cornerstones
Agency: The quality of being able to navigate the world around us and act in ways that are effective.
Gratitude: The quality of being warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received; thankful.
“mental health is approaching life from the lens of AGENCY and GRATITUDE.”
“A healthy self approaches life through the lens of AGENCY and GRATITUDE.”
~Dr. Paul Conti
Understanding mental health is hard.
What exactly is it and how do we attain it?
Dr. Paul Conti—on a recent episode of the Huberman Lab podcast— clarifies that across traditions [whether literature, psychiatry, or faith] the keys to a healthy self [that enjoys life, engages productively in the world, and is happy] are always AGENCY and GRATITUDE.
“If you have these two thingS [AGENCY and GRATITUDE] you almost never see someone go wrong.”
~Dr. Paul Conti
Dr. Conti’s simple wisdom that the keys to a fulfilling life are pursuing agency and gratitude parallels what C.S. Lewis told a young girl near his death—he an experienced Christian at the end of his faith journey on earth and she, this young girl, just starting hers:
“If you continue to love Jesus, nothing much can go wrong with you, and I hope you will always do so.”
~C. S. Lewis
Likewise, if you have agency and gratitude—which come from loving Jesus (see John 10:10; Psalm 23; John 4:13-14)—then even during life’s difficulties, your engagement and enthusiasm for life will not be snuffed out.
Lets see how this plays out in the Apostle Paul’s life:
Paul’s steadfast Joy and Resilience
Paul was in constant danger of death yet he was unwaveringly joyful and resilient:
Paul’s Joy-
Paul writes Philippians, the most joyful book of the Bible, while he’s stuck in prison:
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
~Philippians 4:4-7, New International Version (NIV)
Paul’s Resilience-
Obstacles in Paul’s path had him knocking on death’s door several times:
8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
In the midst of these major obstacles, Paul is completely hopeful and determined:
“16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
Empowerment —> Agency
Empowerment (Verb) Creates a Lens of AGENCY to View Life.
Empowerment : The ability to navigate the world around us and bring ourselves to bear.
We act out agency through empowerment
We have agency because we are empowered…
We see empowerment personified in:
1. God’s generative act of Creation: God spoke and the cosmos came into existence.
2. God’s creation mandate : humanity was blessed with God’s presence and told to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth and to gently subdue and cultivate the earth: Genesis 1:26-27
Humility —> Gratitude
Humility (Verb) Creates a Lens of GRATITUDE to View Life
What exactly is humility?
Dr. Paul Conti’s Definition:
“A sense of the world around us as much more than just we are… it extends to other people…to the health of the whole planet.”
~Dr. Paul Conti
Christian humility:
“A really humble man will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.”
~C.S. Lewis
Oft misunderstood—humility is a transcendent lens you filter reality from after encountering transcendent beauty in life.
[encountering transcendence spans from “Beethoven’s 5th makes me cry tears of joy” to realizing you love your child more than you thought you could love anything, all the way up to a personal encounter with God].
Rick Warren opens “The Purpose Driven Life”, one of the best-selling non-fiction books of all time in a stance of humility and gratitude:
“IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU. The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It's far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God.”
~Rick Warren
Paradoxically, you know your true smallness in relation to other people, this world, and God but rather than feeling small in a negative way, this sense of humility brings deep satisfaction and connection to self, other people, this world, and God.
You simultaneously know “It’s not about me” and lose self-consciousness and comparison to others while experiencing flow and complete engagement.
Summary:
A Helpful Diagram of Relationships Between Agency, Gratitude, Empowerment, Humility and Mental Health & Happiness
Mental health is all about approaching life through the lens of AGENCY and GRATITUDE.
Empowerment and humility are how we act out AGENCY and GRATITUDE.
It’s amazing how well cutting-edge neurobiology and psychology [Huberman Lab the #1 health podcast in the world] aligns with a Christian worldview and understanding of self.
Until next time my friends.
Focus on what matters,Charles
