Pastor's Corner: Mental Health Awareness Month

As we recognize Mental Health Awareness Month, a recent study by the American Psychological Association found that 3 in 4 Americans say that the pandemic is a significant source of stress in their lives. Millions of people have lost loved ones, have become ill themselves, or have lost significant sources of income. Feelings of exhaustion, irritability, and mental fogginess are our bodies' normal response to the trauma of pandemic life. Dr. Jessica Gold, a psychiatrist at Washington University in St. Louis, said "after this long, most people have had some degree of anxiety, depression, trauma, something." Some have lost our sense of direction or meaning, lost in questions of our own identity and purpose. Others may be lost in the depths of grief and despair. We may be lost in broken relationships, dysfunctional family systems, a loveless marriage. We may be blind to the wonder, beauty, and mystery of life. We may be lost in fear and worry. We may be lost in a secret life that is self-destructive and hurts others.

Throughout the Old Testament, God heard the cries and groaning of the Hebrew people and acted. God freed them from bondage. God orchestrated their escape from slavery and provided them with a path to the Promised Land. God declared the Hebrews to be God's own chosen people. The Psalmist writes, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (34:18). God has great compassion for those who suffer, and although it may not always be apparent in the midst of our challenges, the Lord is near. We can look to God for peace, healing, and comfort. The Psalmist continues, "my flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (73:26). We may not always be able to stand up under life's burdens on our own, but God is able to strengthen and sustain us.

The Gospel of Luke reminds us that we are in good company as we wrestle with difficult emotions, "when (Jesus) arose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow" (22:45). Even as the disciples walked through the pain of Jesus' final hours before His death, God was planning a jubilant day of rejoicing! No one understands our suffering more than Jesus, who endured the pain of the Cross. His resurrection victory offers hope for all who are hurting.

We often think of emotional struggles as flaws we need to keep hidden. But as Paul writes to the Corinthians, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). Our moments of rawness before God can always be opportunities for God to reveal God's grace and power on our behalf. Recognizing this truth frees us to seek the help we need, including professional help, while trusting that God will be glorified even in our trials. We cannot always avoid negative thoughts, but we can remind ourselves of the truth in God's Word.

Lastly, we are reminded that we are not alone. The first thing we need to do with our worries is release them to God – "do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6-7). If we truly believe that God cares about big and small details of our lives, we can trust God with whatever is weighing us down today. Then, Paul reminds us to carry each other's burdens thus fulfilling the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). It can be hard to know what to say or how to act, but Scripture is clear that we should love others and do what we can to ease their burdens.

The Gospel of Jesus is about bringing people back to life, it is a path by which we find ourselves. It's a call to wholeness, to keep searching until we value ourselves beyond what we have done or left undone, beyond what we have or don't have, beyond our successes and failures, beyond what is or might have been. Ultimately, it means that everyone is already in and everyone is invited. We matter. We are desired by and important to God.

Jesus says, "come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus promises rest for the weary. As we spend time in God's presence, we will experience the peace offered to us. The Lord wants to take our heavy burdens and replace them with the assurance of knowing God is with us always.

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The Rev. Maggie Lewis

Presbyterian Church of Chinook

First Presbyterian Church of Havre