|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Jun 11, 2017 1:20 am
 |
|
|
|
edited: to correct typos; and clarify the sin in the anecdote
I can't speak for nor against the existence of the stigma, but it's difficult for those who are not going through the same mental illness to relate, in general, but also specifically for the Christian because there are Biblical examples like:
the woman with the issue of blood. Her problem wasn't spiritual nor mental, but physical and yet Jesus was able to heal that illness (and medication is for the physical brain, not the mind, thus in the realm of physical healing).
verses that talk about Him being close to the broken-hearted,
David speaking to his soul to not be downcast (thus the solution: praise God, think of how He provides, of His miraculous works in the past towards others, He can do the same for you: you're either worried about something in this life, or your very life itself and sustaining it in this world, or you're loving something in the world more than Him).
that, if we're walking correctly, there is suppose to be a healthy dose of "loss of interest" in the things of this world—and it is a godly sorrow that leads to repentance, NOT a worldly sorrow, being sad that you can't participate in ungodly, unclean things anymore.
And that our mind is suppose to dwell on all things good, noble, lovely pure, excellent, praiseworthy. How can we be depressed, anxious, distressed/in unrest, when we make a deliberate effort to think on good things? What is going into us (and I don't just mean through the mouth and medication, but the information/thoughts/text/images/storylines getting into our mind? and being fueled by the mind? because if they are unclean, then we can't expect to have a healthy thought life / good mental state of health).
Have all those things actually been pursued by the person with their whole heart, soul, mind and strength (all effort)?
And then there's the opposite of healing: examples where if God doesn't take away what we're pleading for Him to remove/heal, despite our walking in obedience, then maybe it's meant to be there as what keeps us humble and reliant on Him throughout our life (like Paul, similar to "the most incredible sold-out soldier for Jesus that you've ever met" dealing with depression).
Or on the flip-side, where the affliction He sends is punishment for how we're breaking His Commands/sullying His Holy reputation in the eyes of others (e.g. us making Him look like He's no different than what the nations/pagan worship by becoming one with their spiritual customs/syncretizing religions/Christianizing pagan spiritual practices), or that we can be/think/act like the world and God is okay with that, and that our own soul will be okay with it too despite the sinfulness—our soul won't be okay).
So, if there is a stigma, then maybe it has more to do with what the Bible says and less the body of Christ not wanting to be sympathetic or empathetic (the latter of which not everyone can be if they haven't gone through what you have gone through). And perhaps, God is providing the breakthrough with natural cures or drugs to manage it in response to prayers, but when you believe in the miraculous and in a Sovereign God, the other two (or three) possibilities addressed above are what a Christian defaults to naturally and encourages most: miraculous healing (physical touch, or interacting with creation in a certain way in response to something God told you to do or something He did) or the condition is meant for you (for a time or for a lifetime) to keep you walking humble, obediently, and dependent on God, or it's meant to kill you (as mercy and/or punishment).
Miraculous Healing
Mark 5:25-34 (NIV)
25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”
32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
John 9:6-7 (NIV)
6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
The Soul is Supposed to Be Crushed, Unhappy with the Ungodly State of the World/Sinful Self
Psalm 34:18 (NIV)
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
2 Corinthians 7:8-11 (NIV)
8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.
Ezekiel 9:3-6 (NIV)
3 Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side 4 and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.”
5 As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. 6 Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, the mothers and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the old men who were in front of the temple.
Remind the Soul of the Truth and God's Nature to Not Be Downcast
Psalm 42:9-11 (NIV)
9 I say to God my Rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?”
10 My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
11 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
Psalm 73:25 (NIV)
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
Psalm 77:10-20 (NIV)
10 Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
12 I will consider all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”
13 Your ways, God, are holy.
What god is as great as our God?
14 You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.
15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
16 The waters saw you, God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.
17 The clouds poured down water,
the heavens resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.
18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
19 Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.
20 You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Philippians 4:6-9 (NIV)
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Affliction Sent to Kill (or Torment) You as Punishment For Your Sin/Commandment-Breaking/Rebellion
(e.g. King Asa and King Saul)
2 Chronicles 16:7-10 (NIV)
7 At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. 8 Were not the Cushites[a] and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen[b]? Yet when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.”
10 Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison. At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people.
Footnotes:
a. 2 Chronicles 16:8 That is, people from the upper Nile region
b. 2 Chronicles 16:8 Or charioteers
2 Chronicles 16:12-13 (NIV)
12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the physicians. 13 Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his ancestors.
1 Samuel 15:24-28 (NIV)
24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them. 25 Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord.”
26 But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!”
27 As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. 28 Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you.
1 Samuel 16:14 (NIV)
14 Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil[a] spirit from the Lord tormented him.
Footnotes:
a. 1 Samuel 16:14 Or and a harmful; similarly in verses 15, 16 and 23
Affliction Sent to Kill You as Mercy (Not Punishment)—to Avoid Living Through Worse
2 Kings 22:19-20 (NIV)
19 Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people—that they would become a curse[a] and be laid waste—and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. 20 Therefore I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.’”
So they took her answer back to the king.
Footnotes:
a. 2 Kings 22:19 That is, their names would be used in cursing (see Jer. 29:22); or, others would see that they are cursed.
OR
Meant to Live With it and Demonstrate You're Enduring Because of God's Empowering Grace
2 Corinthians 12:6-9 (NIV)
6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, 7 or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
Thus demonstrating that the only reason you're able to endure it is because of God's grace sustaining you through it—His power and His wisdom, knowing He is good and all things work for the good of those who love/obey Him—as you walk humbly under Him in obedience to His Commands. And even this situation is working for the good of others as well (even though you're the one suffering)—to learn from your example: either to not repeat your mistakes and sins or to emulate your righteous example so that God's grace and peace rest on and in you.
The closest thing to medication is Jesus' spitting into the ground to make some clay, putting it on the blind man's eyes (healing balm?), and sending the blind man to go wash in the Pool of Siloam to be healed (supernatural and natural working together to heal the person). But with so many options and scenarios in Scripture, is it really a stigma when people say pray, read the Word, remind yourself of what God has done, ask for healing like the woman with the issue of blood, think on good, pure, noble, praiseworthy, lovely, excellent things with every effort of your entire being for a healthy state of mind, discipline that thought-life and what you feed it / think on, before having to resort to a synthetic chemical that may worsen your health in the long run?
The article was a bit vague, so if he's done all that and then resorts to synthetic chemicals okay, but maybe depression is his thorn in the flesh to keep him humble and he's suppose to lean on God to endure? There's so much to introspect. I can't even accuse him of anything. But equally there are Biblical reasons for the stigma.
---
That said,
Personally, I have a cousin who is brain damaged and has asperger's syndrome. He has been taken to congregations to get miraculously healed ever since he was little, people have prayed for him, over him, laid hands on him, nothing (except a more clearer diagnosis and better medication over the years to keep his emotions under control, because his bouts of rage are violent; his motor skills aren't the best either, but functional).
And yet, this one time, he almost became paralyzed, couldn't straighten out, they had to carry him up the stairs to their apartment. He was lying in a fetal position in the bed, and my aunt (his mother) was watching one of those televangelist healers on TV. He (or she? not sure which, my aunt told me this account a while ago, back when they still lived in the Dominican Republic), the televangelist, started talking about seeing someone with what looked like scoliosis (my aunt didn't know what that was at the time), but it had something to do with the spine. So, upon hearing that, my aunt just took it on faith that he/she was describing my little cousin, that God was healing him in that moment, and my little cousin, who does not allow religious people to do whatever they please to him or trick him into things—like if they try to push him down, he resists (as do I; by the way, pushing people at certain pressure points on their body to get them to fall on their back is not sound doctrine anyway), but he started yelling from the bed that his back felt like it was on fire, and then all of a sudden he stood up with ease.
So that was healed, but not his brain damage or asperger's syndrome. I have theories for why that is (my aunt was trying to make her life easier and thought having sexual relations with a rich, married man [i.e. adultery] was going to be the solution to her life: no, it just made her more dependent on God because her son came out brain damaged, and whatever inheritance that man left him is going towards his care—which she benefits from because she's his caretaker. But it's not the life of ease she was thinking her sin would achieve for her).
And yet, mercy in that He has allowed her to get a much clearer diagnosis upon coming to the states. Without that medication, he would get into violent mood swings and beat her (and the walls) up, and hurt himself, but again, God is ultimately in control; there have been times when she has slipped back into sinning and all of a sudden my little cousin starts developing immunity, the medication is not working, around the same time that she backslid. She repents, makes a deliberate effort to walk in the narrow path, and all of a sudden he calms down, a solution manifests.
I share all that to say: I'm not against medication, but sometimes God sends things on purpose to make you rely on Him and/or as punishment (even mercy) or all of the above. There are many elements to consider. Stigma / disapproval on taking medication may have legitimate reasons depending on the circumstances (have you actually exhausted everything the Bible says?). That's for the individual to meditate on fully. In the end, if YHWH wants to punish you, and sends it in the form of depression, the medication one relies on is not going to save you/sustain you if He doesn't want it to and you are relying on things that aren't Him. |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 11, 2017 6:01 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
