Having a Mental Illness can mean you feel very alone, but does being a Christian mean that you’re somehow on the outside?
I wouldn’t have noticed it at the time, but a few years ago, I began to look at the shaping influences that happened in my early life, particularly the Christian Church that my parents were very involved with.
We lived in the countryside and attended a church in the local township. Small church, and it was a place, I suppose, where you got to know quite a bit about each other.
Looking back now, I recognize that quite a few people struggled with various Mental Illnesses. For example, one of the church attendees had had a Lobotomy. Another would have Bipolar mood swings. Some would sit in the pews nursing depression whilst others would fidget with anxiety.
There was glue, however. An acceptance of ‘lame ducks,’ as my Father would lovingly call them. My mother would spend hours on the phone listening to the heart calls.
I suppose this normalized this encounter of Mental Unwellness to me.
I remember one day, though, later in his life, where my Father shared an experience of a Pastor telling my mother to believe certain scripture passages and that she would be healed. A kind of ‘Name it and Claim it’ approach.
I could sense his annoyance about what I would call a ‘burden of performance’ being laid on her. I would love to have a soul-talk conversation with him about this now.
All these shaping influences upon my thinking.
Read more here
The Right Word at the Right Time – A Rhema Word
How to Create New Rope Bridges in our Thinking
Change the way you think and act
Breaking it down before you breakdown: David and Goliath
Three Bible Verses to Reassure when You feel Stress
Cast your Bread. It’s vital you do
Is There a Barrier Stopping You From Getting the Help You Need?
You’re doing OK in the Face of Resistance
Stress, Jenga and Washing the Dishes
I’m Never Going to Trust my Heart to You Because …
How to Build an Inner ‘Bulldog’ Resilience for your Mental Health
A Particulate of Clay takes on COVID-19
What the World needs now is Courage and Compassion
Doing Your Best to Live at Peace with Everyone
Love heals. Indifference Kills. What do you most need?
When the Confessor Goes Rogue
Your Brain Needs to Rest Beside Still Waters
Seven Observations of Long Haul Caregivers
No more plans. Give me a foggy signpost
When a Thought Takes You Captive
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Hello Heaven Podcast
Cast The Word
Let Me Be Frank | Bishop Frank Caggiano’s Podcast | Diocese of Bridgeport, CT
The Bible Recap
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
The Briefing with Albert Mohler