Jump Start # 1165
2 Corinthians 3:2 “You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men.”
Yesterday in our Jump Start, I discussed the tragic death of Robin Williams and the subject of mental illness. There is more to be said. This is a delicate topic, a complex topic and one that most congregations shy away from. I think the attitude many have is, “Just go away.” That seems to be the easiest way to deal with mental issues. I’ve seen that attitude expressed. I’ve often wondered, where are they to go to? I don’t find my Savior sending people away.
Our verse today expresses the idea of influence among others. People are layered with connections. There are work relationships, family relationships and friends. Our impact upon one person can impact all these layers. Being cold and heartless has far reaching implications that many never see or realize.
Four more thoughts about mental illness that I didn’t have room for yesterday.
1. One does not have to have mental illness to be able to speak about it. Like I said yesterday, those who have never been down that dark valley may never understand what it is like, yet there is still help, hope and lessons to be learned. I sense among some, that only those who have experienced it can be in the position to say anything. That thought I do not agree with. While some many never know the dark days or what it feels like, there are valuable things that they can say. I encountered a similar thing when I was a young puppy preacher. I was single and gave a lesson about marriage. Man, they blistered me for daring to say anything about marriage. What did I know. Well, then I was married and gave a lesson about parenting. I did that before I had any kids. Again, I got blistered for speaking out on something I had no understanding. That fried my biscuits. I said in a sermon, “I’ve never been to Hell, but I can preach about it.” Does a preacher have to have been drunk in his past before he can speak on that subject? Does one have to taste every sin, every problem to be able say what God reveals? We are preaching His word, not sharing our experiences. No, I have not experienced clinical depression. I’ve never taken medication for mood swings or antidepressants. I don’t know what it feels like to want to stay in bed all day. However, I can see what God told Elijah. I can see what God did with Paul. I can share those wonderful words with others. It’s not my insights, but God’s that I want to share.
2. There is a delicate balance between mental illness and behavioral choices. How much will God hold one accountable for is up to God to decide and not you and I. It’s hard to know what is racing through someone’s head. However, this is a big however, it is very easy to use any illness as a cover for wrong choices. “I can’t help it,” may be true. It may also be a mask for laziness, indifference, and other problematic choices. Only the person truly knows. There have been people through the years that just couldn’t make it out to church services, but somehow they could go shopping, golfing and vacationing. We must be careful about others. This point is directed to us internally. I know me. I know why I do what I do. I know when I’m genuine and when I’m putting on a front. I know. God also knows. I can fool others, but I can’t fool God. It doesn’t help my character, my walk with God, nor my influence when I could but I won’t. Laziness doesn’t fly well with God. Read Proverbs. The sluggard is not held in high regards with God. Maybe a guy can’t go to work. I don’t know. I know if I can. When I can and I don’t, that’s a choice. That’s not mental illness. That’s not being responsible. Sometimes people don’t want to do things. Life is like that. Kids don’t want to go to school. Tough. You have to go. Some don’t want to be parents. Tough. Be a parent. Some don’t want to go to work. Too bad. Go. The impression from the Gospels is that Jesus did not want to go to the cross. He prayed for another way. There was no other way. He did what was hard, tough, and He didn’t like. We must do the same. Hiding behind mental illness, when that is not the cause, is wrong.
3. In describing homosexuality, Romans says, “women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural.” I find that expression interesting. Did the unnatural behavior also make their mind think unnatural? Or was it an unnatural mind that led to unnatural behavior? God condemned them for what they did. He didn’t get into the “I can’t help it,” or, “It’s natural to me,” nor, “That’s just the way I am.” No, it was sin. It is sin. I don’t understand how someone can think the unnatural is natural. I can’t understand how they think this is normal. Our thinking leads to our behavior. However, with Christ, learning self control and to think rightly, our thoughts do not have to become behavior. Every thought becomes captured in Christ. The Corinthians were told that. The sin of the mind does not have to become the sin of the body. The lust of the mind does not have to be fulfilled in fornication. Change the thinking and the behavior changes. The key is the mind. Renew the mind. Set your mind on things above. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you. Walk by the Spirit. These are not just positive thoughts to stencil on the walls of our homes. This is it. This is the difference. Who you hang around with. What you fill your mind with—the type of music, movies, TV. What you read. All of these things lead us, influences us and leaves an impression upon us. Satan is shifting us to become “unnatural” in all ways. God is influencing us to be righteous and holy. There is a battle taking place in our minds every day. Mental illness affects this and makes this difficult. Will God excuse someone because they “weren’t in their mind?” You and I can’t say. That’s God’s department. As an old preacher once wrote, that’s God’s end of the stick. We are not to whittle on His side of things. Don’t spend time worrying or trying to figure out what we can’t know. Spend our time on ourselves. I know. I know what I can do. I can’t hide my sins behind anything. I need to confess and be honest with myself and with God. My hope is not in excuses but in my Savior.
4. Clinical depression and many, many mental illnesses are not something that a person “gets over” like the cold. It is different from being down. There are let downs in life. Monday morning after a vacation can be a real bummer but it’s not a life changer. I’ve had many young preachers ask me if I ever felt like quitting. My standard answer is, “Yes, every Monday. But Tuesday comes and I have to get things done.” So telling a person to “snap out of it,” is similar to telling a blind person to “see.” He can’t. There are things that can help a person manage and even make him functional and productive in life, but it may be a battle he has the rest of his life. Some of us will never know nor understand this. There have been few prayers offered for those who struggle mentally. Maybe it’s about time we started. We sure pray for the physical sick, why not mental illness? I think we are afraid. It’s time to get over that fear and seek Heaven’s help.
Robin Williams’ death reminds us that behind the curtain things may look differently. I hope these couple of articles have opened our eyes and our hearts. It would be wonderful for some honest and open discussions about this to begin in our families and congregations. I hope it helps us watch what we say to one another. I hope it helps those who have spent a long time in those dark valleys. God loves you. He always has. Now, it’s our turn to love you and to quit trying to make everyone “Normal.” The only place you find normal is a setting on your dryer. Every family has drama. Every congregation has issues. Everyone of us has good days and bad days. And God loves everyone of us.
I must end on this note: several years ago I was preaching in Illinois. There is a town named Normal. Nearby is another town, Oblong. The local paper said, “Normal man marries Oblong woman.”
‘Nuff said.
Roger