Kaitlyn Richardson is a friend from Florence, AL and she attends the Petersville church of Christ. She has her own blog, as well as podcast called, "Making it in the Messy Middle".
When I was asked to write this blog post, my mind immediately went to how I could end the stigma surrounding mental health in the church. Pretty bold, am I right?
Who am I to think I could end a stigma that’s been around for basically forever?
Truth is, I can’t. I don’t have that kind of writing ability or power, but, as stubborn as I am, I still want to talk about it.
I’ve seen and heard pretty much everything you can think of when it comes to stigma in the church – from things like “just pray and study more and I promise you will feel better.” to “you’ll be able to get off your meds once you learn more discipline and trust.” all the way to “well, just stop feeling that way.”
Those words really sting when you are doing everything you can to stay afloat and people still want to judge your efforts.
My mental illness isn’t going anywhere. As hard as that is to admit to myself, it seems to be even harder for random people in my life to accept. They want to tell me exactly how to be cured when my four and a half years of therapy and 3 and a half years of medication haven’t managed that yet.
Truth is, there isn’t a cure. There are things that help, but there is no cure for what I have. Just like most mental illnesses, it is something you learn to cope with, live with, manage, and accept.
I don’t study or pray as much as I should. Most people probably don’t – after all, how much “should” we be studying and praying?
I am a firm believer in God and His great and awesome power to heal and to help those who ask Him. But I don’t think He has any plans to heal me of my bipolar disorder. I think He has plans for that and for me – just like He does for everyone with mental illness. Just like He did for everyone in the Bible who ever struggled.
So, to everyone – the ones with mental struggles, and those who think our struggles come from a lack of faith and trust and discipline, please hear this – God has a plan.
Don’t look at the struggle as inheritably bad or wrong, because I don’t think it is. I think there is a plan for it. There is something it can be used for.
I won’t go so far as to call it a gift, because I personally know how hard these struggles are, but I do know that I have been able to reach people because of them – I have literally saved a life because of my anxiety causing me to be extra observant, I have been able to reach the hard to reach because of my life experiences.
Your pain has purpose. That doesn’t make it hurt less, I know, but I hope you will rest in God’s plain, knowing that your purpose is beautiful and magnificent because your purpose is His.
Maybe that all has very little to do with stigma. Maybe that made no sense at all. But I hope you can take away from this that there is no shame in mental health struggles. They don’t make you weak. They don’t make you less trusting or less Christian.
They are there for a purpose and reason. They give you a different kind of strength. They hurt, and they cause struggle, but there is a plan for you. And I know you have the strength to see what that plan is.
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