The Vital Role of Church Community as Part of a Mental Health Support Team
The church community is essential in the recovery and stability of the Christian afflicted with mental illness. God designed His Church to include the weak and strong in one body for His will. Paul illustrates this in Romans 14 with three points.
1: It honors God (Romans 14:6);
2: Christians are to bear each other’s burdens like Christ did (Romans 14:8-9);
3: God is judging us and one judge is enough. (Matthew 7:1).
Dark Side and Reality of Living Afflicted as a Christian
I am alone a lot, and it is not by choice. People don’t choose to isolate, not even autistic or mentally ill people. God didn’t create us to be alone. God created the Church as a community of believers to love one another and bear each other's burdens.
Five Things on My Christmas “Wish List” as a Mentally Ill Christian
1. End the stigma of mental illness in the church community.
2. Continue to seek belonging in the church community.
3. Continued support of my family, friends, and the church community.
4. Not be judged for my mental illness or symptoms.
5. Be able to find joy during the Christmas season.
Christmas Holiday and Mental Illness/Asperger’s
Christmas time can be especially difficult for those suffering mental illness, because the struggles don’t take a break for Christmas. I try to navigate a maze with an overwhelming stimulation of sight and sound. My structure is dismantled because of