Aug 2nd, 2021: Mental Health and Spiritual Health


Mental health has been in the news and social media after Simone Biles pulled out of the all-around competition in Gymnastic. Mental health suffering is a concern for many people because it is hard for people to acknowledge it, seek help, and provide it. Some people are cheering her up for having the courage to name her a demon. Others are less charitable and criticizing her for using mental health to disguise her subpar performance. Let us grant her the benefit of the doubt and focus on mental health. High-Performance Athletes are among those who have difficulties facing their mental health struggles because of the expectation from others. They also have a lot more to lose.


Let us hope that the conversation about mental health won't be pushed aside in a few weeks as the news starts chasing more sensational news. Mental health is part of human brokenness, and it demands a lot more attention than our superficial culture can tolerate. We begin with conversations between children and parents, parents and physicians, children and elderly parents, husband and wives, brothers and sisters, and among friends. We know that we need more education and more openness to engage in conversations about mental disorders.


For the last few years, I have been working with a mom whose daughter is autistic. The more I watch her care for her daughter, the more I hope that other parents will get a chance to learn from her. It is about believing in the good of God in her daughter. It is about standing up for her daughter's rights when she needs to do so. It is about having a relationship with her daughter in conversations and activities. I have sat and listened to many of her sad and painful stories about not knowing what else to do when her daughter is experiencing a hard time. In the end, we know that being there and being available are the security her daughter needs.


If we are honest with ourselves, we have also experienced some form of the spiritual disorder. None of us are where God intends for us to be. None of us is free from the damage of sin. How does God care for us? We need to have the freedom and not to be ashamed in acknowledging our brokenness. We know that in Jesus, He is willing to identify with our conditions. The promise of redemption is our security.


Isaiah 41: 10


"So do not fear, for I am with you;

do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you;

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

 

Popular posts from this blog

Sept 4th, 2024: Praying in Images

Image
It has been a rough few days. Living in immense pain does not allow us much energy to think about anything. I ended up praying in images, and not many words came out of my mouth. Most of the images were of people I know. God knew that I was praying for them as their faces came to my mind. I did not need to mention the circumstances or situations of their lives—He knows. My heart was at peace as I ended my days with these images. He will take care of my body, and I know this because I was able to get some sleep. Tomorrow is in His hands.
Read more

Aug 31st, 2024: Confession

Image
Dealing with pain sometimes affects our ability and flexibility. A physiotherapist friend gave me a set of home exercises to help with that. They are simple yet intense at the same time. Dealing with our human brokenness sometimes affects our ability to see and hear God. Our commitment to spiritual disciplines must be at the core of our relationship with God. One of the disciplines I have been trying to embrace more fully is confession. It’s not just about recognizing where we have gone wrong; it’s about how we have chosen to live our lives independently from God. It’s about whether we truly want God to be part of our lives. The absence of meaningful confession will damage our freedom to experience intimacy with God. "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy." - Proverbs 28:13
Read more

May 18th, 2020: Why Forgiveness?

Image
  A young man called me last night and he was tormented by his relationship with his mother. It is not because she was a horrible mom. It was unresolved grief that is caused by his dad's suicide a few years ago. Emotionally, he blames parents for his father's death although he knows intellectually that it is not right. I knew the father a bit because his mother and her family came to see me for help when they first arrived in Canada. He was a brilliant physician and who was quite loved by people of a small northern town in Alberta. He was awkward in some ways and very uncomfortable in social conversations. This young man has had many conversations with me ever since the suicide. His father's death has been a major topic of our time together. Most of our conversation yesterday was about forgiveness. We were talking about forgiving people who never ask or haven't got a chance to ask us to forgive them. The question is whether we can forgive without being asked. His father...
Read more