January 30th, 2020

Be Confident!

I spent a Saturday morning explaining the idea's behind Recovery Friendly Church to a group in Sherringham, where I quickly realised that most people in the room had professional experience, or expertise gained through a lived experience. The comment about learning from each other was particularly true. What struck me was the skills and insights in the room along with what people were already doing. Recovery Friendly Church is very much about why the stuff we already do is so important. The ways in which we recognise people and give them a space. The way we hold hope and walk alongside each other, without being the expert, but more often simply offering non judgmental friendship. We empower people all the time without giving it a second thought. We get all of this stuff right far more often than we get it wrong, and yet often lack confidence in working with those who manage their own mental health situations. I do not mean to underestimate the damage of insensitive or ignorant comments that can be made in Church just as much as anywhere else, yet the picture I see is of lot's of Churches doing brilliantly, instinctively nurturing recovery and being communities in which people find healing. Be confident in what you do, and the gifts you have.