Mentally Impaired

I am not a psychologist nor one who claims to be an expert in that field. I am a student of humanity and of the individuals that God puts in my path. For some reason some of my most significant relationships have been with the mentally ill. 

My father, who I still consider to be one of the greatest people I have every met, was one of them. His “every day and every situation is an adventure” attitude, and his deep passion for helping people put him on the hero level in my book.

I met another of my favorite people at a summer camp for kids when I was twenty-four years old. He was eight years old and so much fun. Our hearts were knit and we became friends. Over the years I have been a “big brother” for him. When he was twenty-three years old, his mom called me and said he was at a mental hospital. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia. After that he lived with my family for a year and he is still one of my favorite people to be with.  

As a pastor I have had lots of encounters with people who are mentally ill. Some know it, some don’t know it, and don’t want to admit it. To be mentally ill is extremely challenging, just like having a physical disability is challenging. However, it is part of the human condition. I have heard it said that we are all mentally ill to some degree. I think the Bible teaches that same thing when it describes the fallen state of the physical creation and humanity’s sinful nature.  

We really are playing with the deck stacked against us. The world we live in is impaired as a result of sin. The bodies, minds, and hearts that our spirits are housed in have been impaired by sin. And the people around us have the same problem we have—impairment because of sin.

And there is more challenge. Our 21st century world is riddled with broken homes, substance abuse, excessive hurry, and overwhelming screen stimulation. All this artificial stimulation and stress can rev up the rpm’s of our soul and leave us either manic or depressive and sometimes both at the same time. Yet, there is more challenge. 

In addition to the impairment in every physical part of creation. In addition to the culture of our society slanted towards soul trauma. The Bible teaches us that the spiritual world is a place in turmoil. This has immense influence on us because we are primarily spiritual beings. The Bible is full of stories of the Devil and his angels trying to stand in the way of the advancing kingdom of God. Though there is no uncertainty at all about the outcome or the purpose of the turmoil in the Bible, in our present time the battle is real.

Now I will try to synthesize all of this together. If you experience deep lasting emotions, whether depression or mania, and those emotions are not consistent with your situation, you may have a mental illness worth tending to. Since everything in our lives is first a spiritual condition before it is physical, mental, or emotional we have to take a step back for assessment. The mental illness, or soul turmoil could be a spiritual condition only, and this would require honesty, humility, prayer, counseling, deliverance, possible repentance, but definitely time and attention. The turmoil could be a physical condition only, a chemical imbalance brought on by DNA or substance abuse or stress or trauma. This would require honesty, humility, prayer, possibly repentance, counseling, possibly medicine, but definitely time and attention. The third possibility is the turmoil has both spiritual and physical elements. This would require honesty, humility, prayer, counseling, possibly repentance, possibly medicine, but definitely time and attention. 

So to conclude, everyone is dealing with some level of mental impairment until Jesus comes to restore everything. The best ways to deal with this mental impairment is humility, honesty, prayer, counseling, repentance where necessary, and patience. Humility and honesty are only possible in connection with other human beings. Don’t try to deal with this on your own. Prayer, repentance, deliverance, and patience are only possible with the help of Jesus. Counseling and medicine should be considered and prescribed with trained professionals. 

Though my dad struggled with the humility and honesty required to get help, I have seen many others live productive and beautiful lives. They never want to need help, but they surrender to the reality that they need the help. Though my dad was awesome and loved Jesus very much, he and his illness brought suicide into my family history. I pray that God’s mercy combined with consistent daily humility and honesty will win the day in your family history.  

David