How do we find a hope that is genuine and authentic? How do we discover a hope that is true even in the midst of repeated disappointments and the painful circumstances of life? I found myself asking these very questions as I stood in the aftermath of my husband’s twelve-year battle with clinical depression and his ultimate suicide.

The Serenity Prayer, written by Reinhold Niebuhr many years ago, contains powerful, timeless wisdom that is now being validating by research. Being able to accept what we cannot change is a key component of our emotional, psychological, and spiritual well-being. We need God’s wisdom and grace to know what can and cannot be changed, and we can trust God to show us the difference.

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of restoring broken pottery or china. Rather than discarding the fragmented pieces of pottery, the artist reassembles them using a precious metal- such as liquid gold- to highlight the repairs. There is no attempt to make it look new or hide the “scars” of its brokenness. The technique adds value to the original object as the master artists creates something more beautiful than when it was new. Each Kintsugi becomes a unique work of art!

What does the "God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles" look like as we journey through mental health challenges?