In her book Find Your Peace, Rodica Malos, DNP, uses her experience of immigrating to America to encourage readers to grieve when they are suffering. Malos offers a fresh perspective, as Christians often trivialize the role of emotion in faith.
“People sometimes minimize or disregard emotions when talking about our Creator. But God grieves with us,” Malos says.
She recalls having to wait six years after moving to America before she could visit her family in Romania. During that time, her sister died at a young age, and Malos was not able to attend her funeral. Later her father and brother died within a six-month period. Malos was so devastated that she developed broken heart syndrome, which, like a heart attack, involves shortness of breath and chest pain.
“To paraphrase Proverbs 17:22, it felt as if my bones were drying from the bitterness and emotional pain. I was depressed and unable to eat or enjoy food,” she says.
But, as she learned, the despair only lasted a season. Malos was comforted to know that Jesus mourns with us.
“Allow your heart to be broken, because Jesus’ heart was broken. Jesus Christ has emotions about our pain. It is the fellowship of His suffering for our sins, so we suffer in many situations. Jesus in Gethsemane entered the fellowship of His sufferings because of the joy that was before Him, to give us eternal salvation from eternal punishment,” Malos says.
She wants readers to know they can grieve but also not to lose belief in God’s goodness. Her book Find Your Peace speaks to Christians who struggle with anxiety, depression, stress, bitterness, and other mental and emotional issues—but from a medical perspective. Malos bridges the gap between faith and neuroscience, unearthing divine prescriptions from the Bible. Christians can learn how to develop a healthier lifestyle full of blessings and peace. {eoa}
Dr. Rodica Malos, DNP, is a primary care provider in Portland, Oregon. She and her husband, Stely Malos, fled from Communist Romania to the United States many years ago. They owned and operated two memory-care facilities in the Portland area for over 20 years and recently sold that business. For over 25 years she has provided all levels of care, including end-of-life care to the elderly with multiple chronic conditions. Dr. Malos speaks at both professional and Christian national and international conferences on a regular basis, often to groups of more than a thousand attendees. As a member of the board of directors of Star of Hope International, she travels abroad frequently on mission trips to physically and spiritually help families with disabled children. She and her family are long-term members of New Beginnings Church in Portland.
Charisma House empowers people through Spirit-inspired resources. It is the leading publisher of diversified Christian resources motivating people to fulfill God’s purpose. For more than 20 years Charisma House has published books, including 14 New York Times’ bestsellers, that challenge, encourage, teach and equip Christians.
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