I'm a pastor. Most of you know this by now. Because of this vocation, I find my self in situations that most people would not find themselves on a regular basis. That's the nature of the vocation. Pastors are called to minister to people in their most dire times, sometimes in circumstances that are not the norm, or at least not the norm as some would understand it.
Because of my vocation, I was at a in-patient behavioral health facility yesterday. Meaning, a mental health hospital. I'm not sure if you've ever been to one before, but yesterday wasn't my first time. I was a mental health counselor in the Army, so it wasn't that new to me, except yesterday was a bunch of civilians, not Army soldiers.
I had lunch there yesterday, and I was able to sit and watch the people that were there. All ages represented. All races represented. All socio-economic statuses represented. There was just a huge cross section of humanity there yesterday as far as I could tell.
As I was sitting there eating lunch and watching the other people, I couldn't help but think- most people would think that people who were in a hospital for reasons associated with their mind would look or act crazy.
Here's the interesting part- they all looked normal. They looked like people I knew, or had seen before. It wasn't like one flew over the coo-coo's nest, it was like being in a checkout line at the local supermarket. It was just full of people.
There is a stigma attached to people who have 'mental issues' and I don't really think its fair. We go and see someone in the hospital for being stupid on a camping trip and they break their leg and we think nothing of it. But if you have someone you know who has to go to the hospital because of something associated with the brain, and the perception of that person is totally different.
Mental illness is real. It affects a lot of people and is serious stuff. When we minimize it or talk down about it, we are condemning people who are truly in crisis that are in need of professional help. We should be supportive of them and realize that given certain circumstances, any of us, or our loved ones could end up in the same place.
What's the nugget for today? Don't be judgmental about people that are in need of behavioral health support. There may be interpersonal or medical conditions that are causing it that you may not know or understand. Yes, God can heal them or us of any condition, but when we pass judgement on these people, we run the risk of disenfranchising them from the grace of God because we have decided that they are 'crazy'.
Jesus ministered to people with conditions of the mind. Paul stated that we could transform ourselves by the renewing of our mind. Be a person who keeps a strong focus on the Lord, his love and his grace. Extend that same level of grace to those who are in a situation that necessitates support from professional mental health services. They are people just like you and me.
Be blessed
matt
Funny you should ask, but yes, I've been in a similar place. It's even more obvious when they take your shoe laces and lock the doors behind you that even the craziest person in there is no worse than you. I am not ashamed of where I was because I needed to be there.
ReplyDeleteFor me, it was praying with a drug burnout who wasn't lucid in group therapy on my last day as an in-patient that began to soften my judgment of myself. This older man got in fights with one of the younger men almost daily during the week I was there. This man, a lost cause by our cultural standards, had kind and lucid words of encouragement for me. He talked about God is daughter. He asked me to pray since he had trouble with words. I went and held his hand and prayed aloud then he started to say the sinner's prayer in this clear voice like he must have said in some church as a child. Just like me. I can easily say the experience was top five in my list of moments I felt closest to God. Funny thing, knowing at once that man does not consciously remember me but also that I will meet him in heaven one day when we will both be healed.
It does take an extra dose of compassion to deal with someone with a mental issue (e.g. depression). You can't see physical evidence of their pain and thus have to have enough faith and love to believe their pain is real.
ReplyDeleteHow many people don't seek help because they don't want the stigma of being labeled crazy. It is sad to think that people feel that way & that they have to go through all the pain & suffering. I have dealt with this issue for many years with family & friends. Depression can manifest itself into physical pain & illness. The best thing besides prayer is to make sure they get the help & support they need; otherwise the results can be devastating. Dani
ReplyDelete