When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:17-18
Because we live in a fallen and broken world, everyone experiences this sense of brokenness in many ways. We all suffer from physical illness. There is no one who is immune. A physical malady can be something very short—we’ve all stubbed our toe on the dining room table, which causes a few minutes of discomfort. We’ve all gotten a cold or the flu and spent a few days in bed. Some of us have physical defects—one leg is shorter than the other, someone was born without all five fingers on each hand. Most of us will experience a serious illness at some point in life—heart disease, cancer, etc. Most of us will be hospitalized at some point, if not for something serious, then for diagnostic tests like a colonoscopy (gentle reminder, if you are over 50 and haven’t had one, please get one). There is no stigmatism for any of these things, except I suppose for the physical birth defect. I have one—a cleft lip which you can see and a cleft palate which you can’t—and I was bullied a lot in junior high and high school because of it. But there is no stigma for someone who gets the flu or even who has cancer or heart disease. These things are part of every life. We manage them, struggle with them, and much of the time, we overcome them. Eventually, we will all die from the breakdown of our physical bodies, which could come suddenly in a car crash, or over a long period of time. Again, there is no stigma associated with these things. Sadness, but no stigma.
A mental illness is a disease of a mind. Just like our bodies suffer through illness, so do our minds. And just as with physical illness, we all suffer from mental illness to one degree or another. When we become so angry that we are toxic, that is the equivalent of stubbing our toe. It’s like we stub our brain, and temporarily lose control of our emotions. This happens to everyone. And sadly, these brief moments sometimes have long lasting consequences. There are some mental illnesses that are life-altering, even debilitating.
Aside from mental illness, there are also other challenges people face, like learning disabilities. Other struggle verbally, behaviorally, and socially because of this. Some of these might mean that people struggle to find a place where they fit.
All of us have some degree of anxiety and depression. For many of us, these things are situational. However, for some of us, anxiety and depression affect every day life for the entirety of life.
There is, sadly, still a stigma attached to people who are in these categories. There is a stigma associated with anyone who has a mental deficiency, and the irony is, we ALL have at least one. In recent years, we have finally started diagnosing and treating them. No one feels inadequate because they go to the hospital to mend a broken leg. No one thinks less than someone for seeking medical care under these circumstances. It should be the same way with mental illness. There shouldn’t be any stigma associated with treatment of mental illness.
How does our church conceptualize suffering? In the Old Testament, people believed that suffering came from God, as a direct punishment for sin. Psalm 107:17, for instance, reads: Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction.
In the New Testament, in John 9, we read the account of Jesus healing a blind man: As He passed by, He saw a man blind from his birth. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him.” (John 9:1-3) The New Testament understanding of suffering is that the cause of suffering is not necessarily related to our sin. It is related to the sinful fallen world, but not necessarily to personal sin. Rather, Jesus says that in all things, including suffering, there is a chance for the works of God to be manifested. Thus, instead of trying to avoid suffering, and certainly instead of stigmatizing it, we should look for how we can glorify God, even in suffering. The easiest way to do this is to be the light of Christ to those who are suffering, whether they suffer acutely for a short period of time, or they have a challenge that goes with them for life.
Of course, in addition to the aforementioned physical and mental challenges, there is also spiritual illness. We all suffer from the spiritual illness of sin every day. Other spiritual illnesses are despondency and hopelessness, when we feel that God has abandoned us. Doubts about God can be fleeting, kind of like stubbing our toe on the table, or they could be more deep-seeded. There is still a stigma about going to confession. Many people don’t understand that this is a place where we receive direction and encouragement to overcome our spiritual illnesses. Many people were not raised with this practice. Just as those who seek therapy for mental challenges have found relief and reassurance, people who have sought out spiritual therapy through confession have found the same. There should be no shame in either.
Lord, thank You for everything that I am and that I have, even for my challenges. Help me to see each of my struggles as a means to get closer to You and to glorify You. Help me to see You in every person I meet. Rather than to see the deficiencies of others, help me to see their strength. Help me to see Your image in them. Give me eyes to see people who need help and encouragement. Give me wisdom so that I may offer that with joy. Soften my heart to not judge what others may or may not have. And soften the hearts of others who look at me, so that they can encourage and help me without judgment as well. Lord, help me to manage my challenges that are not fixable, to do my best in spite of them. Help others to do the same. And help me to see them and to help them, and for them to see me and help me. May all this be for Your glory. Amen.
We are all part of the Church. We can all do our part to help the Church minister to those who are suffering from physical, mental and spiritual illness, first by recognizing these things in ourselves; second, by removing the shame in the struggle; and third, to lend a hand in some real and tangible way, to ease suffering and shine the light of Christ on everyone.
