Regarding Mental Health

This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain…When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind. (Mark 5:3,15, NIV)

When Jesus went from village to village, he often encountered those with disorders. Often those were classified as mental disorders. Those who suffered depression, Schizophrenias, anxiety, phobias, Bi-polar spectrums, and many other disorders.

Like this man Mark writes about, these individuals often lived lonely lives, lived in seclusion, and experienced emptiness and were shunned even by their families. Jesus did not stay at a distance; he did not turn away from these. He was not put-off by them, nor fearful to get up close and personal as many were during that time, and even today. But he came close, talked to, and touched them. He provided the healing they needed.

The man who made his home in the catacombs did not have friends and had been banished from home and family due to his mental condition, but Christ reconnected him and gave him new life. More than that he gave him a testimony of what Jesus, his healer had done for him. It is a testimony many today share because of what Jesus has done for them through those willing to come close. We should never think any condition is beyond our Lord to heal or address.

God is a God of bringing light to darkness and order from chaos, and that ordering and light includes ordering our thoughts and mental health. The power of God to heal even our emotional or mental conditions and dis-ease is nothing but miraculous. His healing can come through miracles and wonders, it can come through medical science, prescription drugs, and intervention, it can come any way he determines is best for us. Most of all he does not want us to stay at a distance from him when we don’t feel our best either mentally or emotionally because he has the needed healing touch. Let’s Pray,

Jesus, you did not run from those who struggled with mental health but embraced them. This is a refreshing example of ministry and care to the broken. Bless those who do not back up but reach out whenever we experience mental unrest or disorders. Amen

Reflective Questions for self and soul-tending: are you someone who needs Jesus to heal you from any mental disorder? Have you given up hope of being healed or helped without judgment?

How will you incorporate today’s message into your plan of self and soul-care?