Maybe you know someone…
Dear First Pres SLO Family,
(Trigger warning: I speak about depression and suicide in this note.)
Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Messiah, the one who offers healing and reconciliation and peace in our times of struggle.
It’s the last day of May, and so I want to offer one more moment of attention for Mental Health Awareness Month.
Among the many statistics that pass in front of me as I work, few are more troubling than the ones attached to young people taking their own lives. It happens for a variety of reasons: depression, anxiety, trauma, and issues related to sexuality and identity. Veterans who have seen the horrors of war are committing suicide in astonishing numbers.
Maybe you know someone…
I grew up with a guy who was one of the funniest and most charming people I’ve ever known. He was one of a small group of friends of mine who grew up in church together and stayed friends long into adulthood. He battled issues of addiction and depression, though he kept them covered up. When we got the call that he had died we were shocked, but as his hidden story came to light we began to understand.
His story is important to me. It’s precious because I loved him and miss him still, even though it’s been 12 years already. I said at his funeral that I couldn’t imagine a world without him in it, and even though I’ve had to do just that, he’s still the missing person at our gatherings.
But his story is also important because he reminds me that we never really know when people around us might be suffering from mental health issues. Increasing our awareness of the different ways people are hurting can give us fresh eyes to notice and care and help. That’s why we keep mentioning it in our services and newsletters and Midweek Reflections. Part of loving our neighbors is learning to help them and encourage them in times of distress and despair—to offer our own hands and voices in places where they can soothe and heal.
It doesn’t always work.
Sometimes the best we can do is show our care even when it doesn’t magically take someone’s pain away. If we only helped when it solved problems, people with deep and unsolvable issues wouldn’t feel our compassion along the way. That would be a shame.
And so I invite you to make use of the resources we’ve been sharing. Be a part of a new way of addressing issues of mental health, and of serving those who suffer. Some of those resources are a click away on this page. Read them. Save them. Share them.
Maybe one way to help is to pray for those around you who may be struggling. You don’t have to know their names—God can manage that part—just caring enough to lift people up in prayer can be enough. It will bless them, and it will also soften your heart toward people in pain.
Blessings to you and yours, and to those in our midst who need a little help,
Pastor John