The Church and Mental Illness

Over the last few years mental illness has become such a prevalent topic of conversation.  I recently finished reading Delight in Disorder by Tony Roberts; a post about his journey as a pastor in dealing with bipolar disorder.  It got me thinking about how the church is engaging with mental illness.

I think the common thought of mental illness is no Christian should have a mental illness.  Some Christians believe those with mental illnesses are demon possessed, aren't praying enough, or have sinned and this is the consequence of that particular sin.  In my opinion this is pure ignorance from those who think this.  I mean, really?  To say the least, this really frustrates me.

What frustrates me even more is there are leaders right now proclaiming this to be truth from the Bible.  Things like, depression is a sin, or those with other mental illnesses are living in sin are spoken, ostracizing those dealing with these illnesses from the one place they ought to be accepted and loved.  In the middle of the Last Supper, after Jesus washes his disciples feet and before Jesus' rebuke of Peter, we read this by Jesus:

"So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for another will prove to the world that you are my disciples" (John 13:34-35, New Living Translation).

Even if it were true that these illnesses were proof of sin (WHICH THEY ARE NOT!) followers of Christ are not to be identified by what they think sin is or not, but by their love.

As Scripture says in 1 Peter 4:8, "Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins."  I love this because it doesn't say opinions, or ideas, or anything else covers sin, but just love.  Yet when it comes to mental illness and the Church, love seems to be missing.

Isn't it a shame the Church doesn't seem to be the place where those suffering from mental illnesses go to find love and acceptance?  That the Church is a place full of stigma and gossip when it comes to mental illness?  I believe it can be different.

Living in the city of Toronto I run into a fair amount of people who suffer from these illnesses.  Sometimes it's scary, I'm not going to lie.  There have been times I have been approached by a person and was scared, yet each time I remember love and acceptance is what I am called to give.  I love encountering people, giving them a warm smile and saying hi, no matter who they are, what they look like, or what they are struggling with.  But still, people think I am crazy and the sad part is most of these people say they are following Christ.

There are a lot of things the Church is spear-heading, but I think most of these things are not what we should be investing in!  Shouldn't we be investing and leading the charge in things like these?

Yes this is a little bit of a rant, I get that, but reading Tony Roberts' story got me thinking a lot.

What do you think?

Comments are always welcome.


That's it.

Bitter or Better

Last year, in October, Megan and I took a trip down to Myrtle Beach.  Along the way we made a few stops in New York, Philadelphia, Virginia Beach and we drove through the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  It was incredible.  While we were in New York we decided to do everything we had not done yet in the city (For those who know what we did during our 2010 trip you know there wasn't much left).  The things on the list: NYU, experience Washington Square Park, and of course the Staten Island Ferry to wave at The Statue of Liberty.

It was a beautiful day.  The sun was shining and it was pretty warm.  We waited to board the Staten Island Ferry to wave at the Statue of Liberty and take some great pictures of the scenery.  For those who have never taken this ferry, it is free.  It takes you to Staten Island, you have to get off, then re-board to journey back to Manhattan.  On the journey back to Manhattan I decided to sit down on a bench at the back of the ferry.  Megan was enjoying taking more photos.  As she was doing this I noticed a person beside me.  He was an older gentleman and was alone.  He said something to me and before anyone could blink Gary and I were in a great conversation.

The conversation lasted the entirety of the trip back to Manhattan.  I can't recall all of what we talked about, but there is something I found out through the conversation.  Gary was from Australia (yes, the accent was AWESOME!).  A number of years ago he and his wife had taken a trip to New York and did many things together.  This time, he was alone.  Gary's wife had died in the past year.  He was in great spirits about it though.  He told me about his friend who told him something profound just after his wife had died.  The friend said, "Gary, you can either be bitter or better, you choose."  Gary then promptly told me he was going to be better!

After a bit more conversation he told me he was on this trip in memory of his wife; he was doing all the things he and his wife did on their previous trip.  Just before we docked he told me how much he enjoyed Jersey Boys and how he was going to see them that night.  When we docked he got up, said goodbye and was on his way.  I wanted to continue to talk, but he had things to do!

I love it, "Gary, you can either be bitter or better, you choose."  This thought has stuck with me since that moment on the ferry.  In life I am going to go through so many experiences, all of which are going to shape who I become - even the seemingly mundane ones.  After every experience I now ask myself, "bitter or better?"  I have to admit, sometimes I choose bitter.  Heck, it's easier!  It's harder to move on from certain experiences sometimes, but once it's done it's great.

I will never forget that ferry ride.  Gary is forever in my life.  I know I will probably never see Gary again, but I thank you Gary, for giving me such great advice simply by sharing your story with me.*

Obviously there is more to write about when it comes to Gary, but this is the biggest point.

Honestly, what do you choose more often: bitter or better?

Think about it.


Thoughts are always welcome.

*For more on the power of story visit storylineblog.com.  Also for a great book on the power of story pick up A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller.

Sin:Death, Death:Life

I always seem to be drawn to creation. I don't know what it is, or how it happens, but it does. Maybe it's because I always wonder what things would have been like if Adam and Eve had obeyed God in the beginning; what would things be like if that were the case? How would we treat each other and the rest of creation?

I love the account of creation. Things were perfect; nothing was wrong; everything was good, really good. God looked at everything He had created and was finished; there was nothing left to create.

From that time until now we have been given so many things from God and each time we disobey we say to God, 'You are not enough'. What a sad statement, but a true one. All of sin can be summed up in that statement: 'You are not enough'. Why is God not enough? Why aren't we satisfied with what God has given and continues to give us? Why do we always want more of something else thinking there will be life in it?

The reason is actually found in the beginning. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, that sin brought death to humanity. So in everything else other than God death will be the only thing found. Every time we disobey God and go against His great design we are choosing death.

Throughout history God gave his laws, prophets, and silence to direct us toward obedience to Him, but every time we choose the opposite, death. We choose this because our natural direction is towards this. One small example of this is one of the first words children learn when they are beginning to speak, 'no'. I mean sometimes it is really good to say no, but the natural tendency is to say no to obedience. We are naturally trending towards disobedience instead of obedience to God. But, let's remember the original design and creation: God created us in such a way, it was perfect. Our natural trend was not towards disobedience, but actually obedience. Adam and Eve chose disobedience and from then on disobedience has been our trend; death has been our trend.

Sin:Death.

Enter Jesus. The astounding part of Jesus is of course his victory over death, but also the life He lived. See, from the beginning of creation till the time of Jesus there had never been a person to fully obey God in every way; not a single person had ever been perfect, not even close to it. When Jesus came along He transformed everyone's concept because He was like no one to ever come: Everyone's trend was towards death and disobedience, but Jesus' trend was and is towards life and obedience. In fact, he is life and obedience. He is perfection; He is everything Adam was created to be; He is everything you and I were created to be.

For those who don't know we are in the midst of Holy Week. A week to remember Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the events leading up to the crucifixion, and the crucifixion on Friday. The only thing is we remember Easter not just because Christ died, but because He has  risen! He defeated death and has brought us new life.

It is truly amazing: Adam:Death, Death:Life. Adam's sin brought death to humanity because of disobedience, but Jesus' death brought life because of His perfect obedience (See Romans 5:12-21).

Christ's Death:Life

Are we choosing life:Jesus:Obedience?

Are we choosing death:Adam:Disobedience?

Do we demonstrate we have new life through Jesus?

Does this new life impact our decisions? Where we live? What we eat? What we say? What we buy? How we treat others? How we treat ourselves?

Are we choosing life, or are we choosing to death?

These are tough honest questions to go through because they will reveal what we are actually living for.

What will you choose Adam:Death or Christ's Death:Life?

Thoughts are always welcomed.