Perhaps you’ve watched someone in your family suffer from severe depression or anxiety. I have. A close relative was hospitalized at 14. Bi-polar issues and OCD followed. I saw a terrible stigma attached to their mental illness. Some well-meaning folks spoke to my loved ones with words like: “You have so much to be thankful for . . . snap out of it!” Yet they wouldn’t dream of telling a friend with COPD, heart ailments, or cancer to “snap out of it.”

Our brains are a major bodily organ, and just like any other organ in our frail human makeup, it can malfunction. Our thinking can go awry; anxiety and depression can set in; we can require serious treatment for our mental health.

When Jesus walked this earth, He encountered all kinds of human frailties. Never once did He single out or stigmatize anyone. He accepted the blind man, the lepers, the woman with a bleeding issue, and the demon possessed (mentally ill). He gave each His same unconditional love.

This tells me that we should look at all who suffer as God’s much-loved children. Perhaps we need a special reminder not to stigmatize those suffering from mental issues. The Great Physician gives us His example to follow. Why – because He loves us all. Remember He loves you unconditionally. Amen?

Joey

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11