Mental illness!!!!!! Mental illness is tricky business. As Christians it is something we desperately need to talk about yet almost never have the courage to talk about. We need to talk about it because it affects so many people. My guess is you either know someone who struggles with mental illness or you struggle with it yourself. Mental illness is not limited to the crazies on the street who talk to invisible phantoms. Moms, dads, pastors, executives, accountants, and karate instructors struggle with mental illness. When we don’t talk about mental illness openly and honestly the result is tragedy and hurt and pain and confusion. We don’t have the courage to talk about mental illness because, frankly, we’re not sure what to say. For those of us who struggle with anxiety or depression, trying to explain it someone who has not experienced it is extraordinarily difficult. For those of you who don’t deal with mental illness but know someone who does, my guess is that you’re not quite sure how to help them. You desperately want to help, but don’t know what to say or what to do. If the body of Christ is going to effectively serve those who struggle with mental illness we need to have some open, honest conversations about it (and just to be clear, this post is in no way directed at anyone in my church!). As one who has struggled with chronic physical anxiety for many years let me add my voice to the discussion. I hope that my fragile thoughts can serve both the stragglers and those of you who care for the struggling.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 15:35:00 +0000
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