Saturday 6 October 2012

Is it wrong for a Christian to struggle emotionally?

Is it wrong for a Christian to struggle emotionally?
Hurts are an interesting thing. Physical hurts often build up over time, resulting in even professional athletes retiring from them. We all feel the aches and pains as we get older.
Emotional hurts are the same, but much more complex. Only you know exactly how you feel inside, it may be happy, sad, frustrated, angry and so on. Similar to physical hurts, emotional hurts compile over time. For some it results in depression or even suicide. For others it results in life changing events like a marriage break up. Others turn to booze, drugs, sex or other people. What is typically the root cause, it could be that a fellow human being let you down, uncontrollable circumstances such as health issues, etc.

We live in a society that requires us to preform at a high level. We are graded accordingly by our marks in school, by our job status and pay. My findings are that society does not know what do do with a person who is struggling emotionally. They quickly assume based on your physical appearance that all is well. You are expected to preform. Medics quickly turn to drugs and in some cases they are absolutely required to remedy depression. In other cases they may be a band aid or temporary solution. I am fortunate to have a good doctor who has always encouraged me to combine exercise and therapy with anti depressants.

Churches have in the past given the impression to people struggling with depression, that if only they looked to God, their struggles would be over. Interestingly the book of Psalms in the bible has many chapters detailing a person's deep emotional struggles. That person, who is believed to have been King David, was also called a man after God's own heart.
Psalm 5 Listen to my words, Lord, consider my lament. Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray......................

So is it wrong to struggle emotionally, it would seem not, in fact it seems normal.

So why does society put on such a plastic mask, with the expectation that we are all holly wood personalities without issue? Is there not a beauty in people being real and helping each other out as the bible suggests? Life is lonely if we cannot support each other as real people. It can be challenging to feel understood and accepted when you feel that your challenges are all your own. However if we exude God's love, if we allow him to shine through us, there can be understanding because God is understanding. This can lead to openness, to caring and to community.

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