"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in various forms."
I Peter 4: 8-10
The first week of October has been designated Mental Illness Awareness Week. On October 8th, our congregation will be joining other Lutheran congregations in observing the 11th annual "All - Lutheran Candlelighting for Mental Illness". In addition, during the adult education hour, we will be having a special speaker, Matt Nichols, discuss his book, "15 Minutes at a Time". The book is "a compilation of poems and life experiences that will positively affect and inspire the way people view bipolar disorder." The key to understanding is education.
Mental illnesses are physical brain disorders that affect a person's ability to think, feel, and relate to others and their environment. They have a biological cause just like diabetes, heart disease, etc. They cannot be overcome through "willpower" and are not related to a person’s character, intelligence, race, or socioeconomic status. Did you know mental illnesses are more common than cancer, diabetes, or heart disease? One in five adult Americans, more than 30 million people, suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder. 18 million people suffer with schizophrenia and/or a depressive disorder. Mental illnesses often strike individuals in the prime of their lives, during adolescence and young adulthood. Over 7 million children and adolescents suffer from a mental illness. At least one in every five families is affected in their lifetime by a severe mental illness such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or major depression.
The best treatments for serious mental illness today are highly effective, between 70-90% of those affected have significant reduction of symptoms and improved quality of life with a combination of pharmacological and psychosocial treatments and support. According to NAMI (National Alliance of the Mentally Ill), early identification and treatment is of vital importance. Recovery is accelerated and the brain is protected from further harm related to the course of the illness. Yet many people are hesitant to seek help because they fear having to deal with the stigma of being labeled “mentally ill” or "crazy".
Although words can often be poison, stigma is not just about the use of the wrong word or action. Stigma is about disrespect, including the use of negative labels to identify a person living with mental illness. Stigma creates a barrier which discourages people and their families from getting the help they need due to fear of being discriminated against. Stigma can keep people from getting good jobs and advancing in the workplace, leads to fear, mistrust, and sometimes violence, and often results in inadequate insurance coverage.
As Christians, we are called "to love each other deeply," and “offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” As we look ahead to the upcoming holiday season, many of us think of practicing hospitality as equivalent to what you see in the entertainment books and magazines. Kathy Chapman Hart notes, however, that "Practicing Christian hospitality isn’t about glittering, glamorous table settings or platters of picture-perfect food; it’s about practicing servanthood right in the middle of your practical Christianity. More important, it’s about loving others through Christ, and making people feel special." We are practicing Christian spirituality when we invite all people, including strangers and enemies, into our way of life with graciousness. It may require us to dismantle some of the barriers erected to keep “others” out. The art of hospitality may be difficult at times. Of course it is easier to be hospitable to family members and people we know rather than strangers or those we perceive as “strange” or "different". But, as servants of God, experiencing God’s gracious hospitality, we respond by mirroring God’s hospitality to others. When we practice true Christian hospitality, we can change our corner of the world. We have the opportunity to touch lives in a personal, loving way. We can share our homes, church, and ourselves with friends, neighbors, and even the strangers God may send our way.
Remember Hebrews 13: 2: "Do not forget to entertain strangers; for by so doing,
some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”"
Peace and joy,
Bonnie