Category: mental-health

I rise…

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Some mornings, the battle begins before my feet touch the floor. Depression tries to creep in quietly, telling me it would be easier to stay down, to stop trying, to just surrender to the heaviness. But I remind myself, I am responsible for my healing. Not in a way that blames me for the pain, but in a way that empowers me to live the life God has promised me.

Healing is an act of courage. It is waking up and choosing to breathe deeply, even when my chest feels tight. It is drinking water, stepping outside and allowing the sun to lift my spirits, and whispering a prayer when the words feel stuck in my throat. It is saying, I will rise today, even if it’s slow, even if it’s messy, even if I stumble.

God does not leave me, His presence is the hand that lifts me, the voice that steadies me, the love that never lets me go. I rise because God has spoken life over me, I rise because healing is mine to claim, I rise because my story is not over, I rise because His light is stronger than the darkness.

– denise marie

    “So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed”. – John 8:36

    In Him…I am free, I am whole, I am home.

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    “So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed”. – John 8:36…Today, I breathe in this promise. Freedom is not about escaping life’s challenges, it is about living fully in God’s truth. I know at times it’s not easy, and in those moments, I lean into His presence and quietly sit still, as I listen for Him to speak lovingly to my heart. His truth breaks chains, quiets fear, and awakens my soul to the life He offers. In Him, I am free, I am whole, I am home.

    – denise marie 

      The journey matters…

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      Wholeness is a tender returning, again and again, to myself and to God. Healing happens in the quiet moments when I breathe deeply and notice the way the sunlight touches the trees and when I remember that life is sacred in its smallest details. Basking in God’s presence while admiring nature, reminds me to root down like the trees and rise like the sky. With each inhale, I receive God’s peace and each exhale, I release what I cannot carry.

      The journey has not been simple, each step, even the painful ones, has shaped me into the woman I am becoming. You see, my walk with God is about learning to trust His pace, to see the beauty along the way, and to remember that every part of the journey matters. With Him, I am whole, here, I am home.

      – denise marie

      “So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed”. – John 8:36

      Every breath we take…God is with us.

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      There is tenderness in our becoming, the way we rise with strength and the way we keep moving through shadows toward light.

      Always remember that hope is being renewed. Every breath we take is a reminder, that God is with us, even in the waiting, even in the unfolding.

      We are not broken beyond repair. We are a living testimony of grace, and His love will keep carrying us, day after day, until we see how radiant we’ve always been.

      Rest in this truth, we are Gods beloved…Whole, enough, loved and always held. 

      – denise marie 

      “So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed”. – John 8:36

      God meets me in the garden…

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      Healing asks me to slow down, to notice where my feet are planted, to feel the air on my skin and the rise and fall of my breath. It invites me out of the past and away from the anxious thoughts about the future, and into this sacred space where God meets me, right here.

      It’s in the present, where I can hear His whispers, where I can see His fingerprints in the smallest details, and where I can trust that the same God holding me now, will hold me all the days of my life. 

      – denise marie 

        “So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed”. – John 8:36

        Still healing…still here.

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        Kauai, Hawaii

        Childhood trauma doesn’t stay in childhood, it lingers, in the body, in the mind, in the way we trust, how we love, how we see ourself, how we protect ourselves, and it follows you quietly, into relationships. For a long time, I lived disconnected from my body, and it didn’t feel like home.

        Healing began when I started letting myself feel, and when I started naming what happened and letting it move through me, sitting in the stillness, feeling the discomfort, no longer numbing the pain, but learning to be present with it.

        Therapy has helped me find language for my pain and trauma recovery work has taught me how to stay present, how to breathe again, how to come home to myself and by doing so, I am learning to trust myself again, to listen to the signals in my body, and to believe my own voice.

        I’m learning to trust God more deeply, not just as a rescuer, but as a trusted friend, who sits with me, not just in the light, but in the darkest places of depression and anxiety. God never left me there, He’s walking with me through it, step by shaky step.

        I’m present, I’m breathing,
        I’m becoming, and everyday that I choose not to give up, that is healing.
        -denise marie

        “So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed”. – John 8:36

        I hope you can relate…

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        Un-rav-el: to free from complication or difficulty; to make plain or clear.

        Father God,

        I lay down what I can no longer carry, the masks, the striving, the silent weight. Help me to not fear the unraveling, but to trust that even now, You are near. Even in the undoing, You are making space for what is true. In Jesus name, amen.

        “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”. – John 8:36

        The source of my peace…

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        https://videopress.com/v/Unx4kWNG?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

        Lately, I’ve been reminded that everything I need flows from one place, God.

        Not always from people, not from plans, not even from my own strength,

        Just Him.

        I stepped outside today, let the sun touch my face and the wind speak softly to my spirit. And there, among the trees and sky and stillness, I remembered:

        He is the source of my peace.

        The wellspring of my joy.

        The keeper of my soul.

        Spending time with Him in nature grounds me.

        It clears the noise.

        It brings me home.

        When I’m weary, I don’t need to do more.

        I just need to return, 

        to the One who holds it all,

        and to the One who holds me.

        – denise marie 

        “So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed”. – John 8:36

        Everlasting love…

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        Today I stood still in the quiet of nature, the trees towering above me like protectors, the wind brushing past my skin like a whispered reminder: You are loved, always.

        There’s something about being outside that makes His love feel closer. Not loud or forced, just constant, gentle and everlasting.

        The same way the sun rises without needing our permission, His love shows up, every morning, every moment, unchanging. I don’t have to earn it, I don’t have to strive for it, I just have to receive it.

        The everlasting love of Jesus isn’t based on how steady I am, it’s based on how steady He is. Rooted like the trees,
        faithful like the river, and endless like the sky. And in that love, I can finally rest.

        – denise marie

          “So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed”. – John 8:36

            I found solace in rest…

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            A visit to Chambers Creek in University Place, Washington

            As I sat beneath the trees, near the river, and let the stillness hold me.
            There was no agenda, no rushing, just the sound of water moving slow and steady, like grace, and the wind weaving through the leaves like a gentle invitation to come home.

            Out here in nature, something in me softens. I don’t have to be strong, I don’t have to perform healing or pretend I’m not still learning how to breathe again. I can just be, fully present and fully loved.

            The river reminds me that I, too, am allowed to flow, gently, honestly, without force. The trees remind me that it’s safe to be rooted again. Safe to rest. Safe to return.

            God is here in the quiet, never demanding, only inviting. And in that sacred space, I remember, I am not lost, I am not broken. I am returning to Him, to myself and to wholeness that never truly left.

            – denise marie

            “So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed”. – John 8:36