From
the Rector
As mentioned in last month’s
Church Review article people may be struggling with this third lock down
mentally so we have been using the Bible Society’s ‘Lifting the Lid’ Bible
study course during our Lenten midweek services which focuses on faith and
mental health, drawing on well known Bible stories.
One in four people will have a
diagnosable mental health condition in their lifetime. We in churches can offer
support and space that listen and welcome people suffering in our congregations.
During this Bible course we looked at how God treats those who feel exhausted,
rejected, hopeless and heartbroken.
The story of Zacchaeus tells us how
Jesus looks at outsiders who are stigmatised by their community. Jesus stops
and notices Zacchaeus who was a tax collector for the pagan occupier and who
was looked upon as a sinful person who cheated people but Jesus asks Zacchaeus
for assistance therefore raising his self esteem, he goes to Zacchaeus’ house encouraging
him on his own turf and valuing him by giving him ways to rethink his
situation. These are all ways we can think about valuing those who are
stigmatised and struggling especially with their mental health in our own
communities and learn how Jesus treated people on the periphery of society.
We learnt that mental health can
be defined as a state of well-being in which people realise their own potential
and can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and are
able to make a contribution to their community. Mental health affects how we
feel about ourselves and others, how we interpret events, how we cope with life
events and how we develop relationships. As previously mentioned a quarter of
all people will be diagnosed with some sort of mental health issue during their
life time and we as Christians are not immune to these issues. The Bible tells
us of a number of characters who suffered for example the prophets Ezekiel and
Jeremiah and not forgetting Jonah and Elijah. Elijah who prayed for death
because he didn’t feel he could go on but was used powerfully by God despite
his mental health challenges.
Elijah who ran for his life out
into the desert until he came to a tree where he sat and prayed to die, he had
fallen asleep when an angel came to him and woke him and gave him food and
drink, he slept again and the angel returned and said get up and eat for the
journey is too much for you. God gives Elijah hope to carry on. This shows us how
giving people room to complain but not to be judgemental and to encourage with
practical help like the angel giving Elijah a cake of hot bread and a jar of
water first.
Depression is defined by at least
two weeks of loss of interest in normal day to day activities; loss of
enjoyment, lack of energy, sleeping too much or too little and a loss of appetite.
We need to resist that telling someone to ‘pull up their socks’ is not the
answer and that we should help people suffering from depression as we would help
someone with a physical illness.
When the course dealt with
anxiety it gave the Biblical example of the story of the disciples on the road
to Emmaus. These two men were anxious about their belief in Jesus, he hadn’t
appeared yet and they wondered had their hopes and dreams crumbled away. Jesus
came to them and walked along side them and listened to their pain eventually
taking the time to explain the scriptures to them and helping them to see
things from another perspective only making himself know at the breaking of
bread at the evening meal. In our everyday lives do we take the time to walk
along those struggling with anxiety, to listen to their concerns instead of trying
to ‘fix’ them?
Everyone gets anxious from time
to time and it is a vital emotion giving physical symptoms like a racing heart,
sweating, difficulty breathing and insomnia to name just a few but sometimes it
becomes too sensitive and is triggered too often and it becomes a problem that
begins to disrupt everyday life and instead of being a ‘fight or flight’
reaction it becomes an anxiety disorder that needs to be treated.
Physical exercise, talking
therapy, connecting with people (even by phone), slowing down, and trying to be
calm including prayer (while connecting with a higher power) can all help in
dealing with anxiety when life gets too frantic.
Mental health is a term that
popular culture seems to have adopted, especially during the pandemic. I hope
this course has been of help to those who are suffering and to their support
network, awareness is sometimes half the battle and I look forward to
completing the ‘Lifting the Lid’ course during the remainder of Lent.
God Bless William
Funeral
The funeral of our Nigerian parish
reader Victoria Oyinade Osigbade-Osho took place in St. Maelruain’s on Thursday
25th February. We extend our deepest sympathy to her husband Samuel
Sr., to her sons Samuel Jr. and Solomon and to her extended family and friends.
She was taken from us all too young.
