Mental Health Awareness

As a young graduate with a brand-spanking new Psychology degree, I began my career as a mental health therapist at an inner-city mental health center. This was an eye-opening job experience that boosted me from textbook knowledge to experiential learning quite rapidly. I learned early on that hurting people come from all walks of life.

This week we’ve seen the tragic passing of two gifted individuals in popular American society. Both were walking out their giftedness in public ways. Kate Spade, an icon in the fashion industry, and Anthony Bourdain, a staple in the food travel programming world, suffered from mental health challenges. The obstacles overcame them and they sadly succumbed to the pressures of the world and the disease, eventually opting-out of this world. They seemingly fought the darkness with treatment and medicine but within days of one another, these souls would make a defining choice to leave their loved ones grieving. Instead of pointing judgemental fingers at suicide, it’s encouraging that many are choosing to educate themselves about the despair involved in such a final act… especially when leaving adored children bereft.

Kat Kerr, a renowned modern-day revelator, stated in a 2015 YouTube video, “How are we supposed to push back darkness if it is living in us?”

Darkness isn’t a construct of the zealous Christian or a figment of the rampant imagination. It is a real spiritual force that people live with every single day. My time as a mental health therapist was a harsh reminder that it exists with a vengeance. There is an ever-present evil in this earth realm. The evil preys on people in an effort to deceptively a) make them miserable and b) separate them from the promises/love of the Lord.

Let’s review a key promise that the Lord gives us to hold onto in this world. The Word tells us that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. Romans 8:38-39 amplified version states, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the unlimited love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The Passion translation of the same scripture shares, “So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from God’s love. I’m convinced that his love will triumph over death, life’s troubles, fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing in our present or future circumstances that can weaken his love. There is no power above us or beneath us-no power that could ever be found in the universe that can distance us from God’s passionate love, which is lavished upon us through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One!”

No matter the problems we are facing, no matter the darkness tormenting us, there isn’t a single thing that can take away the Lord’s love for us. Think back to our foundation scripture (John 3:16) many of us learned as new Christians. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son… God LOVED us soooo much that He sent His son to save us. That’s real love.

Now I have 4 kids, my oldest and youngest are sons with my daughters sandwiched in between. I’m not sending my kiddos out of my realm of protection to sacrifice themselves for anyone-don’t judge me-I’m being transparent. As a matter of fact, don’t even ask me to sacrifice my children-you are on your own. You’d better pray hard for deliverance because my children are precious to me. The youngsters often text, lbvs (laughing but very serious), and it is appropriate here. For real. Think about it. We love our children. Exponentially increase that earthly love and you will scratch the surface of the overwhelming love the Lord has for us. He loves us so much more than we could ever fathom.

The deception of darkness is just that; lies and deceit. Darkness can’t hinder love. Love is simply too strong of a force because it originates from our Father in heaven.

Action steps are essential when infusing light into dark places. Yes-let’s pray and take authority over the spirit of depression and suicide in Jesus’ name. But in addition, we must do something tangible as well. Let’s reach out to our loved ones often via text, email or phone. Whichever method they use to communicate most often, use it. Be intentional. If you know or suspect that they never check email, do not email. Do mental health checks. Don’t be afraid to ask them if they are suicidal. Carve time out of your day to listen without dispensing advice. Just listen and get an idea of the specific challenge. Google is a click away. Use it to provide access to needed resources for your loved one. Soup kitchens, help-lines, books, call-centers, pastors, counselors, rehabilitation assistance and veteran services can all be accessed easily online.

Let’s be intentional and possibly save a loved one from succumbing to darkness.