We all are broken in one way or another:
...Physically,
...Mentally,
...Spiritually.
Christians, there is no better time than now to seek out those around us who suffer in silence with mental illness. Even though their disability is invisible to most of us, we need to advertise in our communities that they are always welcome in the first established Hospital on earth...the local Church!
It is so hard for some of us to acknowledge that mental illness is real, that it causes real pain; that such inescapable struggle truly exists. We can't see it, can't touch it, can't define it; so it must not be real.
The broken stand before us; right before our eyes.
Some of us need a heart transplant; to one that is not so hardened that we cannot sense our Father's prompting that we go beside them, attach our yoke to them, and help carry their burden as His Word commands.
There are too many families losing their children, parents, spouses, to suicide; in record numbers. The evidence is clear, so many of those precious lives were struggling with some mental dysfunction at the time of their death. The families left behind will never truly get over such loss.
Our local Hospitals (the 4 walls we call the Church) have plenty of room. In fact, don't we beg for more attendance? Why is not every local Church on fire to reach this often ignored group?
Why bother?
Try this experiment at your Church to test the impact that could be made by the local Church seeking out those broken with mental illness. Hand each 4th person attending your next church service a white ball cap as they enter the sanctuary. At some point in the service, ask all that were given one of the ball caps to put it on for a couple of minutes.
Have everyone look around. Statistics are strong that 1 in 4 adults suffer with some form of mental illness. Wow! That's one quarter of your current congregation that statistically suffers with some form of mental disability. With such visual evidence, wouldn't you want to know more about this disability? Wouldn't you want your local Church to promote awareness about it, talk openly about it, preach about it, care for it, consider it a mission field? You are a steward of the local Hospital. You have a say. What say you?
Learn. Help undo the mental illness stigma. Don't miss that the Lord has gifted such with various talents, taken for granted; i.e., detail orientation, organized, creative, visionaries, risk takers, bottom line controllers, high energy workers, high sense of urgency, independent thinkers, highly competitive, protective; these are talents most of us don't often associate with brain dysfunction, but by design of God's hand, these are talents waiting to be used that God may be glorified,
If we look for and acknowledge the gifts that the Lord has given those with mental disabilities, and how they could add so much to our churches when given the opportunity...our congregations could and would become stronger; not weaker. Get educated.
May we welcome all those the Lord is bringing to the first Hospital ever established...the local Church!
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