BCNE News
The latest news from our network of New England churches. Looking for our New England Perspectives Articles? Click here.
5 ways the church can help in the wake of the mental health crisis
There’s a sickness affecting nearly half of the people in our congregations, yet we often choose to ignore it. We don’t understand it. We are afraid to talk about it. I thought I knew about this illness. I’d read about it and known some people with it, but two years ago, when this sickness hit my house like a ton of bricks, I realized that I didn’t have a clue. I’m talking about mental illness.
Redeeming self-care
“Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.” (Galatians 6:4-5 MSG)
Meditate on this short but meaty passage long enough, and you might notice that Paul's charge is nearly impossible to carry out from a place of survival mode.
When Jesus doesn’t cure your mental illness
When I became a believer in Christ, I automatically thought my life would get better, that all my problems would go away because Jesus died on the cross for me. Don’t get me wrong, things changed. In fact, I became radically different. But since knowing Jesus, I have still struggled through depression and anxiety.
While wrestling through the whys, I spent a lot of time asking God if I was really a believer because there were days where I could not get out of bed, days that I was lying face-down on the floor battling anxiety, and days where I thought it would be easier to end my life.