Talk Stigma

So today I'm going to be talking about that feeling of not having enough. Sometimes at church, I think that sometimes people feel like they don't have enough. And a lot of the time for people who live with a mental health condition, you might feel like you don't have enough. So I'll look at that and see where I can fit my perspective into it. So if you don't know who I am, my name is Pastor Seth Perry. I'm a pastor. I live well with bipolar disorder and I'm a recovery addict. And on Cadre, I talk about my mental health, my recovery, and I also talk about how people navigate their faith communities, specifically in my context.

So today I was wrote a whole piece on that feeling like you, you just, you don't have enough. And I'm talking about material wealth as an example. And I reflected on all of the things, and by that I mean and hello, Jules, I'm glad you're here. And I'll ask to the people who are here, what are some ways that you felt you don't have enough? And it can be like material wealth. It can be just validity or just you feeling like you don't have enough in any aspect of your life. So, yeah, answer that. So specifically, my example about material wealth today, I was talking about bright and shiny objects that are a distraction to our lives.

Those possessions that we have that we think are very important. And I mean, some of them might be what I'm holding right now in my hand, a phone. So many of us have a phone. It runs our life, but we're only going to have it for about two and a half years before it's obsolete. And then we got to go back and pay an average price of a cell phone. I looked up, for the purposes of my message today, $790. And when I looked at that, I was like, hey, yeah, that's not, that's not a bad, it's not a bad price.

$790. And the fact that, you know, I was thinking that $790 is, is a, is a decent amount for a phone. When, like when I was growing up, phones cost $15, right? Hey, Jules, I don't do enough for others. Well, tell me more about that. Tell me more, tell me more about that. I'd love to hear more about that. So, yeah, on this topic of feeling like you don't add up, like you don't have enough to contribute, like you are lacking those distractions in life, more possessions, like sometimes folks have those things, like skidoos ATVs, boats, threw that into the mix, talked about that a little bit, or even like the stuff we have around our home.

A 115 inch TV is the largest kind of TV that you can get. So a nine and a half foot TV like that, that's crazy to think that that's, that's how big they can be. So those are some of the examples I threw out there because I really wanted people to consider the things that we own. And that feeling of not having enough sometimes happens to folks of faith because the type of faith that they're being sold has so much to do with their own prosperity. And that's what I really wanted to talk about. Because matters of the spirit, spirituality should never be tied to, to, to how much you're producing in terms of income, to the, let's call them, quote, unquote, blessings that sometimes people tout having that are somehow tied to their faith, that they've been blessed, that they've been given gifts from their higher power because they've been so devout, because they prayed, because they've maybe given money to a church.

So sometimes like prosperity is tied to that as well. And also I still do work with people that feel like they don't have certain things in life because they have done wrong. Right. And so in the theology and in the spiritual practice that I cultivate and teach with people, I always come back to the fact that you are enough. Right. I'll get your comment in a second, Jules. Thanks for your comment. So you are enough. You have enough. If you believe in the Great Spirit, the Creator, or in God or whatever it is, you certainly are enough for that God, for that spiritual entity, absolutely 100%, without fail, you are enough.

Why you are worthy. I think that when we're lost, when it comes to mental health and addictions, just feeling up and down, the ups and downs of life, a lot of people get to that point where, where they feel like what they got ain't, ain't, ain't ain't enough. And that means that they're not worthy. But let me be the first to tell you today, if you haven't heard it, you are enough. Now Jules comments and says, I feel like I can't give back enough to people in my community, like no matter what I do will be, ever be enough.

Yeah, well, here's, here's the good thing about what you said too, is that you're not alone. I feel the same. You know, I think it's a natural place for us to be, to think and it's all part of the spiritual path that many of us are on. Getting to a place where we just feel like, what am I doing? I don't. I don't think. I don't think I'm doing this right. And I'll say this. If you think you're not doing things right when it comes to life, then you're in good company. Absolutely, you're in good company.

You are not alone. And I think that's my final message for today. If you feel like things don't add up, if you feel like you're not worthy, if you feel like you're messing things up, then you're in good company. You fit right in with the rest of the people that are just, you know, trudging along the path of spirituality. Trudging along, enjoying the gifts that the Creator brings or whatever your concept of God is. So those are my thoughts, Jules. Thanks so much. Had a great time with all of y'all, and I'll see you next week.

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