LIVING ROOM’S OPEN DOOR –

In his book, Faith and Mental Health, Harold Koenig, M.D. wrote that mental illness could be viewed as a gift. “It can sensitize the emotionally or mentally ill person to the pain and suffering of others, uniquely equipping them with the insight and ability to help.”

Through our own needs for compassion, we have learned how to have compassion for those who suffer as we do. This is how our own mental health issues can carry with them a gift that we can share with others.

The hunger for a Higher Being in our life (for me it was God) is great among those in need. That is especially true for those living with mental health issues. I know it is. I’ve seen it. I’m one for whom this is true, well remembering what it was to be ill before I had Jesus in my life.

Because I, along with them, knew the pain of depression and anxiety. I also knew how terribly unfair it was to be made to feel shame for having an illness I could not help. I understood how knowing Jesus’ love assured me of my self-worth and I was able to pass that assurance on to others. Because I knew the comfort he gave me, I was able to comfort others through him.

Have you heard Jesus call you to support those who suffer as you do? Are there people in your community with whom you could relate? People you might be want to include in your group?

Jesus looks for a heart filled with his love for others. He looks for a heart that’s filled with a love for him and gratitude for what he’s done. He looks for a person who’s willing and eager to serve.

To such a heart Jesus Christ has been known to bring the greatest kind of joy—the joy that comes from sharing his love with those who need him.

marja