In our society today and throughout history it’s been the consensus that Christians are not supposed to be depressed or have anxiety; we are supposed to have it “all together”. In our culture at large, there is enough of a stigma surrounding mental illness that it becomes more difficult for sufferers to find the support and understanding that we need. You would think that the one safe place that a person suffering from mental illness could find support would be the church. I am happy to say that I have found much support and encouragement from the churches I have come in contact with and I applaud them! But sadly to say that is not always the case. Just as prejudice, stigma, ignorance, misunderstanding and lack of knowledge is still found in our society(somewhat to a lesser degree but still a long way to go) so it’s also found in the church.
It’s true that the scientific community as yet to come to a universal agreement on the nature and causes of depression. The general consensus is that depression is a medical condition and not a personal or spiritual failure.
Does the church give the impression that anyone who decides to follow Jesus must have perfect mental health? Can we break down the walls/barriers that threaten to keep sufferers isolated and alone. The church needs to start looking at this as an illness, not a spiritual battle or a personal flaw or weakness. Then people will come out of the woodworks and seek help and know that God loves them just as they are, in all their brokenness. And not feel like the church is somewhere they don’t belong or feel welcomed. Our churches should be a place of refuge and encouragement to all who seek God, none to be secluded or left out.
Then there’s the healing issue. “Well if you had more faith you would be healed or you need to pray more…”. As with any illness; not everyone is going to be healed, mental illness is no different. It doesn’t mean that God loves me any less, it just means God knows best. Now that’s a tough statement for me to say because I want to be healed/delivered from this hellish existence more than anything. But that’s not for me to decide. “Thy will be done on earth..”. But if healing is not in the plan then I ask for His strength and wisdom for every day.
I grew up in a generation where mental illness was looked upon in a negative manner. If you suffered “bad nerves” then you were missing some of your marbles; you were not considered “normal”. Especially if you were a Christian how could you be depressed or anxious? In the same way we experience other illnesses; our hearts malfunction, our kidneys fail, our liver stops functioning or we break a bone. Things can go wrong with our brain, it’s an organ like any other organ of the body. It’s our misconceptions that cloud our judgement of this illness.
I cannot change my illness by Will-power, no more than someone with a physical illness can heal themselves with positive thoughts (it might help, but will not cure). The church has the tendency to put this pressure on mental ill persons by invoking the idea that we can heal ourselves if we just pray harder and more often, have more faith, think positive etc. Let’s stop right there! God is our healer, it’s His will, when and if we are healed.
There is another issue that needs to be addressed. It’s a one I was going to omit because I didn’t really know how to address it. But let’s start by saying the church, society and culture has most definitely come a long way when it comes to mental illness. I myself have come such a long way; I have become more educated on the topic and my life experience through living with this illness as given me an whole new way of looking at it. The issue I’m referring to is a one where mental illness was and still is to a small degree looked upon as some form of demonic, devil possessed or entrenched in the dark side. Let’s be very careful here; don’t give the devil so much credit. When sin entered the world, so did all sickness; this was not the plan of God but when Adam and Eve fell that’s where it all began. But because they fell, God did not leave us to our own demise. He is still all powerful, all knowing and everywhere present. And in the end God as the last word on mental illness, not satan. “And by His stripes we are healed”.
Let us(and I’m speaking for myself) to stop playing God and think we have all the answers, because we don’t. This illness is so complex, misunderstood and complicated that we don’t have the mental capacity to fully understand it and thus is best left to the omnipotent God; who is all knowing. I am not referring to any particular church, I am talking about the church in general. It’s not meant to be offensive but it’s time to look at mental illness in a different light; with understanding, compassion, love and acceptance. To broaden our minds to see things from a different perspective.