|  | |
Previous | Next
 |
Letters to the editor
Mennonite Brethren Herald welcomes your letters on issues relevant to the Mennonite Brethren Church, especially in response to material published in the Herald. Please keep your letters courteous, brief and about one subject only. We will edit letters for length and clarity. We will not publish letters sent anonymously, although we may withhold names from publication at the request of the letter writer and at our discretion. Publication is also subject to space limitations. Because the Letters column is a free forum for discussion, it should be understood that letters represent the position of the letter writer, not necessarily the position of the Herald or the Mennonite Brethren Church. Send letters to:
Letters, MB Herald
3-169 Riverton Ave.
Winnipeg, Man. R2L 2E5
|
or by e-mail to mbherald@mbconf.ca. (Please ensure that your postal address is included in your e-mail correspondence.) |
Still a long way to go
I am always happy to see a church publication or program attempt to deal with mental illness. I was also happy to see that you published stories by sufferers. Usually one only gets the comments of so-called experts, when the only real experts are those who have been there. I was also glad to hear that some churches are caring and sensitive and do not treat the mentally ill person any differently from any other ill person.
Unfortunately, we still have a very long way to go. I have suffered seasonal depression for the past 25 years. Several years ago, I decided to openly share this with my church. All seemed to go well until a disagreement arose between me and some of church leadership. The pastor in particular seemed upset with my alternate views on a few church policy issues. These were not issues of right and wrong, but only of emphasis. When the pastor could not win the argument, he discredited me by informing others that, due to my illness, I was not capable of rational thinking. During this time, I did not miss one day of work due to my illness. As I work as a professional consultant, it seems I was very capable of rational thought. The pastor refused to meet with me to resolve the issue (after all, you don’t need to resolve anything with the mentally ill), and the remainder of the leadership refused to take any action. I didn’t realize how serious the situation was until a senior member of the congregation called and insisted on seeing me. He had heard that my condition was so bad that I was on the verge of suicide. Yet my depression had been under control for years with only a few short setbacks.
We have subsequently left the church. I will probably never again share this condition with anyone in a church setting. I have the support of a wonderful family and friends, and that will do.
So, yes, we have made progress, but this illness still sometimes carries a stigma.
Name withheld
Depression hits all ages
It is to be hoped your recent issues highlighting mental health will benefit many Christians. It is obvious that depression can strike anyone – mature men and women, young people and even children.
There was a time a few years ago when I was deeply depressed. Like Jim Coggins (editorial, March 2), I did not tell anyone about my problem. I did cast out many broad hints hoping someone would pick up on them and help me, but I didn’t know how they could help. It was also true in my case that depression took on a life of its own. My depression fed on itself until it controlled much of my thought life. From the outside, no one guessed I was depressed; I maintained the appearance of a mature Christian woman. On the inside, my mind was attacking me constantly, convincing me of my unworthiness, to the point that the phrase “You really should kill yourself” was continuous and unrelenting.
Finally, I decided I should obey this inner voice and began to make plans to carry out the suggestion. On the day that I had decided how to carry this out, I came home to find my teenaged son in the kitchen, visibly upset. A friend of his had just committed suicide, and he shared with me how devastating that was for this young man’s family and friends. This was a wake-up call for me, and it gave me the strength to rebuke that taunting inner voice and declare, “No! This is not the answer to my problem.”
I visited my doctor on the pretence of an annual physical and, during the course of his questions, got up enough courage to tell him that I was feeling “very sad” all the time. This was a huge understatement, of course, but thankfully he had the wisdom to pick up on it. Knowing my age and some of my physical symptoms, he prescribed a treatment of hormones. A few short weeks after taking them, my depression lifted, and I felt physically and spiritually renewed.
I know none of these events were accidental. All along, I was being watched over by God. He had my life in His hands, and I give Him the thanks and the glory.
While I was in the depths of my depression, I took much solace from the Psalms dealing with David’s times of deep depression. Somehow they comforted me more than the Psalms of praise. Although I questioned many things concerning my faith during this time, the one thing which I could never deny was that God is. His name, I AM, became the most precious thing for me, my rock-hard foundation. I knew that whatever else I was thinking or feeling, I would never be able to deny the existence of God. This carried me through my most desperate moments.
I must add that my pastor’s wife, Carol Julihn, although she probably didn’t even know how God was using her, did respond to one of my cries for help with an invitation to attend a daytime ladies’ Bible study. For some reason, she just wouldn’t accept my excuses and continued to invite me until I felt compelled to accept. I had really wanted to attend, but in my depressed state I was separating myself from people and programs. Responding to her repeated invitation was a healing balm and added to my recovery.
On behalf of all the people who will read these articles, see themselves and know they are not alone, I thank you. On behalf of all those who will tuck this knowledge away for future needs, I thank you. The many people mentioned in these articles are living examples that even mature Christians become depressed. I trust many will learn from these articles how to come alongside them and their families, to encourage where they can, and to be more alert when the Holy Spirit prompts them to respond to subdued cries for help.
I also encourage people to share their stories more. I discovered after I received treatment that my own mother had experienced depression at about my age. I never knew because she hadn’t shared it with me. If we don’t share our experiences, it may be interpreted as a sign that we still feel shame about them. I am now willing to share my story in the hope that it will help others who find themselves in a similar situation.
Barbara Armstrong,
Delta, B.C.
A call for courageous behaviour
I remember reading of a time when pious Christians felt that using a lightning rod was sinful because it was seen as an attempt to thwart the will of God. It took a few courageous Christians to go against such thinking in order to reform the theology and practice of the church. Beatrice Klassen’s article “Prayer or Prozac” (March 2) is a call for such courageous behaviour from Christians everywhere. When Christians refuse to contemplate hard issues, it inevitably leads to simplistic theology, as we look for simple answers instead of probing the depths of God’s wisdom. How quickly we become Job’s comforters to the depressed instead of imitators of the God of hope and comfort (Ephesians 5:1).
My only disappointment with the article is the title. It is catchy, but it creates a false dichotomy between anti-depressants and spirituality – which is a significant part of the problem Klassen so excellently challenges in her article.
Brent Hudson,
Riverview, N.B.
Previous | Next Last modified April 19, 2001.
© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
Masthead and usage information.
|
