Mental Health

1 Thessalonians 5:23 CSB

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

INTRO—

“How’s (What’s) your (their) track record regarding…?”

[Not your fastest time in the 100m dash (gotta be all current Olympics…coming up in just about 1 month!).]

…Investment Advisor. (substantial returns)

…Attorney. (winning cases)

…Surgeon. (successful surgeries, etc.)

…Christians regarding issues of mental health…

The “Prosperity Gospel” Equivalency. [When you do you right you have “the favor” of God upon your life—definitely involving monetary blessings - ‘the increase’…but when you do wrong (please call it sin!), you will lack - ‘poverty;’ … in the same way, saying that someone struggles with a mental health condition (let’s say depression) is due to a lack of faith, or sin in their life.]

The “Noble Lies” Dismissal. [saying psychological diagnoses are lies (PTSD is just grief [for example]; controlled by “Big Pharma” to medicate people…& taking meds will (must) lead to vets being homeless on the street or ADHD children becoming addicts and criminals)]

These all to often prevailing winds regarding “ministry” to people struggling with a mental health challenge…have not established a good track record for “us” as Christians (Evangelical Christians).

I am convinced that we can do a better job—as a friend of mine regularly says…we can “tell a better story”—as we minister to people, in Jesus’ name, in this aspect of our lives concerning mental health, mental illness, and trauma.

THE CHALLENGE: MENTAL HEALTH

Mental Health — “Our emotional, psychological, and social well-being—[affecting] how we think, feel, and act…[helping determine] how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.” [Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)]

Mental Illness (Disorders; MH Conditions) — “Mental illness, also called mental health disorders, refers to a wide range of mental health conditions—disorders that affect your mood, thinking, and behavior.” [Mayo Clinic]

Examples: Depression; Anxiety Disorder; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD); Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); Bipolar Disorder; Schizophrenia; Eating Disorders…

Trauma — individual trauma [is] an event or circumstance resulting in: physical harm, emotional harm, and/or life-threatening harm. [SAMHSA]

1 Thessalonians 5:23 “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Life of Charles Spurgeon

Depression [Pretty much his entire adult life (from 22-death).]

You may be surrounded with all the comforts of life and yet be in wretchedness more gloomy than death if the spirits are depressed. You may have no outward cause whatever for sorrow and yet if the mind is dejected, the brightest sunshine will not relieve your gloom. … There are times when all our evidences get clouded and all our joys are fled. Though we may still cling to the Cross, yet it is with a desperate grasp.

In his life…Mental Illness (Depression)…& Trauma Impact (Depression from an event…, and from physical illnesses/conditions (Gout, Rheumatism, & Bright’s Disease [kidney]).

CHRISTIANS: CARE

Recognize that challenges we face regarding our mental health have one of two points of origin. We typically identify these by one of two questions:

What is wrong with me?

[Too often we only ask this question; last week, we talked about Jesus’ disciples in John 9:1–2 “As he was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?””…& what Jesus had to say about their defaulting to this position about suffering; Yet, we must acknowledge that our sin can bring about such responses as anxiety, guilt, or sorrow/depression…]

SIN [[A Theology of Sin]]

Consequence(s) of Sin

Psalm 51:1–9 “Be gracious to me, God, according to your faithful love; according to your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion. Completely wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin. For I am conscious of my rebellion, and my sin is always before me. Against you—you alone—I have sinned and done this evil in your sight. So you are right when you pass sentence; you are blameless when you judge. Indeed, I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me. Surely you desire integrity in the inner self, and you teach me wisdom deep within. Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Turn your face away from my sins and blot out all my guilt.” [U = vv. 7-8]

What is happening to me?

SUFFERING [[A Theology of Suffering]]

Consequence(s) of Suffering

Psalm 88:1–9 “Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out before you day and night. May my prayer reach your presence; listen to my cry. For I have had enough troubles, and my life is near Sheol. I am counted among those going down to the Pit. I am like a man without strength, abandoned among the dead. I am like the slain lying in the grave, whom you no longer remember, and who are cut off from your care. You have put me in the lowest part of the Pit, in the darkest places, in the depths. Your wrath weighs heavily on me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves. Selah You have distanced my friends from me; you have made me repulsive to them. I am shut in and cannot go out. My eyes are worn out from crying. Lord, I cry out to you all day long; I spread out my hands to you.”

Psalm 88:10–18 “Do you work wonders for the dead? Do departed spirits rise up to praise you? Selah Will your faithful love be declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Abaddon? Will your wonders be known in the darkness or your righteousness in the land of oblivion? But I call to you for help, Lord; in the morning my prayer meets you. Lord, why do you reject me? Why do you hide your face from me? From my youth, I have been suffering and near death. I suffer your horrors; I am desperate. Your wrath sweeps over me; your terrors destroy me. They surround me like water all day long; they close in on me from every side. You have distanced loved one and neighbor from me; darkness is my only friend.” [U = last word in Hebrew of this psalm]

Responding to Our Mental Health Challenges [Some Advice/Encouragement]

[How should we respond personally…and how should we respond in helping someone else close to us?]

AVOID:

Stereotyping & Stigmatizing [Prosperity Gospel Equivalence; Noble Lies Dismissal]

Denying the Reality of the Struggle [Sanctification at different rates/levels for everyone]

From Spurgeon’s life… [in CT magazine article; speaking of (his) depression]

Spurgeon clearly knew this helplessness and how poorly people can react to it. He spoke directly to harsh and insensitive “helpers” from the pulpit—those who were quick to cast blame, quick to tell depressed people to just pull themselves out of it, and slow to show compassion. He also would not tolerate the accusation that “good Christians” do not get depressed. “God’s people,” he preached, “sometimes walk in darkness, and see no light. There are times when the best and brightest of saints have no joy.”

PURSUE:

Regular Exercise…

Healthy Eating…

Adequate Sleep…

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 “Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.” [U = v. 20]

[[Mark 8:1–3 “In those days there was again a large crowd, and they had nothing to eat. He called the disciples and said to them, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they’ve already stayed with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a long distance.””]]

Relaxation/Rest [Two aspects of our Autonomic Nervous System: Sympathetic System = Fight, Flight, Freeze; Parasympathetic System = Rest, Relax, Recover]

From Spurgeon’s life...

Spurgeon also used nature as a remedy for the depths of depression. Spurgeon counsels that we should “breathe country air and let the beauty of nature do its appointed work. A mouthful of sea air, or a stiff walk in the wind’s face would not give grace to the soul, but it would yield oxygen to the body, which is next best” (Lectures to My Students, 126).

[[Also…a good cigar!]]

Stay (Get) Connected to Community

Galatians 6:2 “Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” [The deal is…you have to be real about your life, how you feel, etc.]

Seek (ask for) Help [Christian Friend Care; Pastoral Counseling Care; Professional Counseling Care; too often we can be like that guy on the roof of his house in a major flood who prays…]

Giving Care…show that you believe them; show that you are available; show kindness & respect [truly listen]; show genuine LOVE to them

Professional Care…sometimes we need meds (short or long term) & a professional counselor—someone well-trained in trauma-informed counseling (as extra helpful as a trauma surgeon is for someone injured in a serious accident, etc.)

[[The prayer in 1 Thessalonians 5.23 that we entirely be sound in body and soul does not preclude medical assistance.

Luke 5:31–32 “Jesus replied to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a doctor, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”” [U = v. 31]

1 Timothy 5:23 “Don’t continue drinking only water, but use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.”]]

[Trauma-Informed Care/Counseling…NCS, Counselor—as biblically-focused as a school as anyone could hope to find!]

CONCL—

Maybe you have experienced (and even continue to do so) struggles with a condition challenging your mental health (Depression, Anxiety, OCD, PTSD, Trauma). OR—Maybe you are close to someone (Family, Friend, Neighbor) who struggles with something along these lines. I pray today will be the day that…

1 Thessalonians 5:23 “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Lamentations 3:55–57 “I called on your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: Do not ignore my cry for relief. You came near whenever I called you; you said, “Do not be afraid.””

[[Job 33:28 “He redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit, and I will continue to see the light.””

Psalm 40:2 “He brought me up from a desolate pit, out of the muddy clay, and set my feet on a rock, making my steps secure.”]]

Spurgeon’s life…

Perhaps you know the feeling of your spirits being so low that you can do nothing, contribute nothing. You are overwhelmed and paralyzed by sadness. Your brain is foggy, your temper sharp. All is dark. Then the questions come: What if this endures? What if I can never do anything of lasting value again?

Spurgeon knew this feeling. Perhaps this is why, in a lecture to his students on depression, he told them, “Think not that all is over with your usefulness.” … His suffering did not exclude him from usefulness. ((I am thankful for God’s common graces…like advances in understanding of hurt, trauma…and ways to help people like us work through/on such challenges in our lives.))

INVITATION:

Salvation

Strengthened Faithfulness

Biblical Compassion

Isaiah 48:10 CSB

Look, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.