In the wake of the world losing the creative, sensitive genius and beautiful soul that was Robin Williams, I have nothing new or profound to share. I, along with the rest of you, was terribly shocked and deeply saddened. My heart hurts. But I will add my voice to the mix anyway. I have seen many positive comments, many pleas for us to be more aware of mental illnesses and to be more open about them as well. But I have also seen some comments that have shocked me - that he was selfish, that while we mourn his death we are not mourning the death of, say, Christians in Iraq or Ebola victims in Africa and, after all, he just chose to end his life. I personally have never suffered from clinical depression or been diagnosed with bipolar disorder but I have precious family members that have been. I have lived with them as they struggled. I have feared for their lives and agonized over their pain. I have sat in countless psychiatrists and therapists appointments. I have handed out medication. I have sat through hours and days and months of tears. I have struggled with extreme anxiety as I did my best to help. I have had a front row seat and it has changed me forever. And I will just say this one thing - mental illness is not something that happens because we lack faith or a relationship with God. The statistics are the same - Christian or not. Our faith in God can give us strength as we endure, but it does not take away depression and other mental illnesses. There are no easy answers. Every loss of human life is full of sorrow because EVERY human life is valuable, no matter how it ends. Our only response must be compassion, kindness, and sorrow. The Bible says to mourn with those that mourn. So now is the time to mourn and to remember and to pray.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 16:41:23 +0000
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