Mental Illness and the Church.

I've been avoiding writing this post for far too long. This is a tough issue. And it's one that has largely been avoided by the Church. And because the church chooses to avoid the question, I stopped going to church for almost a year. I came back because my pastor decided to do a sermon titled "Depression" in a series on tough issues people face in life. It was a good sermon and I think it was much needed for our church and any church, for that matter. The part that struck me the most about his sermon was at the end when he said, "I want this to be a place where people with mental illnesses can feel at home and welcomed. I want us to be a church that supports people who are struggling instead of pushing them away." I began to cry when I heard that because for the first time since I was diagnosed with depression, I felt at home in a church.

So many churches aren't properly educated when it comes to mental illnesses, so they don't know how to deal with them properly. They don't understand that having a mental illness is something that we can't control. And they especially don't seem to understand that people living with mental illnesses are most often not dangerous to others. People who have been diagnosed with a mental illness need love and support, but the church is often the least likely place to find it. Instead of welcoming all people, including those who are mentally ill, the church often excludes and looks down upon a group of people that really needs their church to support them and love them for who they are outside of their illness. But many churches simply can't see past the diagnosis to who the real person is.

What if we as the Body of Christ could join together to support the least of these? What if the Church of Jesus Christ could show His love to the world, including those who are typically considered outcasts? What if we could end the stigma associated with mental illnesses? How can we make this happen? I would argue that it starts with one. One person making a choice to love someone who normally doesn't receive much love. One small group choosing to make a dinner for someone in need. One church deciding to speak out and educate their congregation about mental illnesses and other issues people face around the world. Let's be the type of people that make others want what we have. Let's be the hands and feet of Christ.