Jesus was known for his kindness, humility, and gentleness. Something we clearly see in Jesus’ life and teachings is the way he included people that everyone else left out. Christ’s love brought a sense of dignity and value to those on the margins. He calls us to love in the way he did by caring for those who are rejected in our world today.
But Jesus had a lot more than those qualities alone. He was a complex individual with traits that seem contradictory. Jesus was a radical in the way he treated social outcasts like prostitutes, the poor, the sick, lepers and others. He wanted to change the status quo. If we’re following him, perhaps we too should be more radical in our Christian walk.
I myself know what it is to be considered different. I know what it is to live under the shadow of stigma – eventually to be hurt by it. And I know how Jesus loves me in spite of it.
In 1965, at the age of nineteen, I ended up at Riverview Hospital, with the terror of psychosis filling my mind. I spent nine months there. Bipolar disorder and all the struggles that entailed would be part of the rest of my life. Fortunately, with better medication, I was, in later years, able to overcome the worst of it and have lived a full life – a meaningful life.
At that painful time, I was far from the woman I would be in the year 2000 when I started speaking out on behalf of people like myself – bringing mental health awareness to the Christian Church. During that time, there was still much ignorance and Christians with mental health conditions were leaving their churches, hurt and misunderstood.
The situation angered me and through writing and speaking, I tried to correct the Church’s misunderstandings. I publicly described my mental illness, but I also showed that I was a strong Christian in spite of it. My illness had nothing to do with sin or being distant from God. Instead, I testified to how much God had done for me and how important he was to me. Understanding grew.
When most individuals with mental health challenges have low self-esteem, where did I get the courage to do this? As I look back at the earlier part of my 77 years, I can see how fortunate I was not to be affected too much by stigma. The people and situations that came into my life helped build my confidence. When I became a Christian at age 40, I came to trust God and I found my strength in him. I wanted to serve him – to be his hands, his feet, and voice. Feeling his love for me, I shared it with others. I became a mental health advocate.
The emotional pain that the stigma of mental health challenges brings is what causes low self-esteem and lack of confidence. Medications treat the symptoms of mental illness. But there’s no medication that will help us to be listened to or taken seriously. Medication will not take away the shame we feel. It cannot help when we’re looked down on or shunned or rejected. What will help is to be supported by friends who are following Jesus and his ways.
I speak as one who knows what it is to be looked down on. When I’m not feeling good about myself it would help if I had someone to talk to. I need help to remember that I’m an okay person. I might need reassurance of God’s never-ending love. Even people of faith need those reminders at times.
As we give care to people who have mental health challenges, we are relieving their pain, freeing them to continue their lives with greater confidence. Their world will open-up, showing them possibilities to lead a more meaningful life.
We need to have a fresh look at the evils of stigma. We need to recognize how it damages people’s lives and how it prevents them from living with confidence. We need to not turn a blind eye to their emotional pain. As Christians who know Jesus and want to follow his example, we are in a position to provide that healing.
My recently published 48-page booklet, Healing the Effects of Stigma, available from Amazon.ca, includes clear suggestions on what Christians can do to be supportive to friends who might be hurting in this way. Anyone who has the love of Jesus within them, can learn to do this in His name.
Leave a Reply