Posted by Chris A. on June 5, 2002, at 1:40:33
In reply to Mental Illnesses and Faith Communities, posted by SuzyQ on May 31, 2002, at 3:45:01
"Faith is the awareness of utter helplessness without God."
That's a quote I read today, copied off and taped on my monitor.Most of you have been through some really hard trials. My strength comes from my relationship with Jesus Christ. I try not to get too upset when other Christians let me down, as I am not perfect either. If I went to the the perfect church I would ruin it :-) One of my favorite passages of scripture is I Corinthians 13 - Faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love. My interpretaion is that God sacrificially loved us by sending His son. By hearing and reading about His love for me, I have faith. Because of His love and the faith it engenders, I have hope. That hope is not only for the future, but gives me the strength to keep going day by day. It does not disappoint. We can live many days without food, so many hours without water, but only about two seconds without hope. I can only love because God through Christ loved me first. He sent His Holy Spirit to comfort me and guide me. All Christians go through desserts and tribulations. Michael Card, one of my favorite musicians, said that while in the dessert it is essential to pray, even if it is only one word. My favorite when in the depths has been "help." He also said to read the Bible, even if it is only one verse a day. There has been more than one occasion when the Lord has used one sentence to give me hope and help me to recover from a suicidal state of mind. Michael's words of wisdom came out of his own struggle with depression. The Christians who have helped me the most have been those who are humble and recognize their own absolute dependence on God. My 2 Sense, is that if a person doesn't realize their own neediness, then they have no business to be in ministry or Christian leadership. I have a lot of rough edges and am glad that God isn't finished with me yet. We are all works in progress. Organized religion has offended many, but when it comes down to it, our relationship with our Creator is between us and Him. Our response shouldn't depend on anyone else. If we ask Him truly honest questions, he answers, often in ways we don't expect. It is refreshing when I find someone in the body of Christ who is loving, empathetic and doesn't judge me. When really ill, I feel paranoid, isolate and avoid those who would really want to be of support. In a way, we could all be considered hypocrites, because we have all missed the mark in some fashion or another. My prayer for everyone here is that they might know the love of God in a personal way. Knowing His love can get us through anything. I hope, in my own bumbling way, that I can comfort someone in the way that I have been comforted.
I hope this makes sense.
To Him alone be the glory.
Blessings,
Chris A.
poster:Chris A.
thread:19
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20020527/msgs/79.html