Darkness and The Christian.

This weekend, while my happy little family was camping and carrying on, a brother in Christ that I've never met was walking in a most dark place.

The news of Matthew Warren's suicide was saddening to many and devastating to the family, I imagine. I ache for them.
Immediately I started to wonder how hard it must be to be Rick Warren's son.
To be a force for Jesus Christ is to put a target on yourself and your family for the Enemy to attack. 

My own head is Satan's weapon of choice against me. Although, I've NEVER been suicidal, not even close, I know what it's like to feel gray and defeated and guilty. All while [semi] carrying on with life. I usually just call it a "Funk". I've written of this before.

Last week, speaker and author, Jen Hatmaker, on her blog, called it the "Doldrums". In this post, she proceeded to tell her readers some of my exact thoughts! Evidently, we've been in this little funk on the same timeline, which is a [nother] bummer, cause we could have at least been eating our way through it together!
I encourage you to read it and develop your own attack plan for if/when the funk hits you.

This weekend Ed Stetzer of Lifeway Research wrote this post for CNN regarding "Mental Illness and the Church's Response".  Read this. And have your church leadership read it. 

Understand that these are two different situations: Mental illness or depression which requires medical help and a time of just being "low".

A few points on this:

• We've got to give our Christian brothers and sisters a safe place to work through this junk! Just because you've never experienced it, doesn't mean that it isn't real and dark and painful and debilitating.

• Call it what it is. This weekend, my Spouse spoke truth to me telling me that I don't have to believe the lies Satan is telling me. He called it: LIES. Lies that may sound like fat, lazy, guilty, terrible, unworthy, high-maintenance, stupid, worst mom ever, worst homeschooler ever, fatty mcgavin, ridiculous, can't believe I did that, I'm so dumb, etc....

• The darkness seems to have different shades. You might have a little gray, another may be living the charcoal area, while it seems others are in the blackest of darkness. 

• All shades of darkness are real, whether you've seen them or not.  

• For you to say to me that you don't believe that a true Believer can experience depression doesn't make me feel less depressed. It makes me a Believer in Jesus that wants to punch you in the throat.

• Let's work on NOT being little Christian tool bags and show a little compassion. Get over any stigmas or preconceived notions you've got about the blues, depression, mental illness, or meds. Just get over it.

• If you are in a funk, know you don't have to stay there. I get you.

Love,
Not a Tool Bag.

Note: The Spouse, the beach, the gym, & Jesus totally put me on an upswing. Get behind me, Satan!