I waited a little to write this out after Robin Williams death. I for one thought he was incredibly funny. I did not agree with much of his politics but he did make me laugh. I knew he was an addict, and was struggling most of his life with that. I did not realize his depression though.
I was at work in the aftermath of his death, talking with co workers about it. Now I work at a large Non Denominational church, so the people I am talking with are all confirmed Christians. What I heard from a few of the younger people floored me. Now they are full of the spirit of serving and living a life pleasing to Christ, and I love love love seeing that in the younger generation. But they also have much to learn about life in general, lol.
One young man said, "well if he had the Lord, this wouldn't have happened".
I said what do you mean by that? He told me if he had the Lord, he could have cast all his cares on Him, he (robin williams) could have given his anxiety over to the Lord, and he would not have had a problem.
Wait, what????
In love, I turned and told him that many devout, loving, serving Christians suffer with depression. They suffer with anxiety. They do cast their cares on the Lord, over and over and over again. It helps, certainly , to know that God has a plan in all the mess, that He will be there in the end for you, but it does not magically end the anxiety or depression. This attitude among Christians is what is driving many Christians to feel as if they failed, or are not "good enough" for God to get rid of the depresssion and anxiety. On top of the problems they are having, they now feel like "failed Christians" because the Lord wasnt enough to stop the problem, so it must be that I do not believe enough, or havent prayed enough, or any of a thousand reasons the Lord is not taking this away.
Sometimes, in times of real anxiety and/or depression, people will self medicate. They do this to try to stop the pain and anxiety. Now you add to the feeling of failure, you failed at being a christian because you did not cast your worries on Him, and NOW you are doing something you know is not what the Lord wants, but you justify it because it does help temporarily to ease the pain.
But then it comes back.
This happened to me. I tried just treating the symptoms for years. I told myself that the Lord would take this away from me in His time. Until then I must just suffer through. My family paid, my marriage paid, my job paid.
Then one day the world around me collapsed. I thank God for my doctor, I fell apart in his office while I was taking my mother in law to him for a check up. He asked if I was ok, and BAM the flood gates opened and I just bawled and broke down, and I mean broken.
He hugged me and said please let me help you. I had spoken to him before about the anxiety, I only wanted a medicine to take at the time of the anxiety, but I systematically refused to take and anti depressent for some strange reason. But on that day, I would do anything to get help. I hadn't slept in months, I lost weight. It was aweful. So I agreed to the antidepressant. After 4 days I felt my mind clear, after two weeks I could eat. He brought me in and asked how I was doing, and I told him how amazing I felt, but that I still was not sleeping. He said I want to up your dose, and I freaked out a bit. He said I want you to sleep at night, try this for two weeks, if you do not feel better yet, and get sleep we will back it down.
Lo and Behold, after three days of the higher dose I was sleeping, all night long!
And guess what, God still loved me, and I loved Him , no changes in that.
I was not a failed Christian, but a stubborn one. He had been sending me help every time I went to the Dr., but I did not see it as that. I saw it as being weak. Until I was so overcome with weakness that I accepted the help that I now see was sent by God so long ago, but I did not recognize.
So please, if you are a Christian and need help, ask for it. You are NOT a failed Christian for asking for help, it does not mean that you are not good enough, or that you are paying for something.
On the flip side, if you are a Christian, and see a brother or sister suffering, pray for them yes, but do not think for a moment that they have done something wrong. Help them, hug them and say, Can I help you?
Sister, Brother, you are not alone, reach out for the help that is out there. The first step is the hardest. After that, its all down hill.
I think that Robin Williams felt like he had failed. Like he wasn't good enough to stop feeling these feelings, that he deserved it. He didn't, nobody does.
Peace and Blessings,
LTW
It would seem that these younger people, that you refer to, suffer from a great misunderstanding of what it means to be a Christian. Many falsely believe in a "Health and Wealth" version of Christianity. It usually arises from a lack of study of the Scripture as all religious error does.
ReplyDeleteIf these young people would only read 2 Corinthians 12:5-10, they would soon realize that just because someone becomes a Christian, or as they phrased it "Have the Lord", they are not released from the trapping and failings of the mortal flesh of our bodies.
This was the inspired Apostle Paul talking, and if any mortal man on this earth "had the Lord" it was him.... both in a literal sense and in terms of his faith. This was a man capable of healing others through the power of the holy Spirit which dwelt within him yet he was not allowed to be rid of his "thorn in the flesh"
I understand exactly what you say. I think they know that we will have troubles, it is preached pretty loudly in our church. I think though that because he was not Christian those people simplified it down to he had no outlet for his pain. When I suffered with depression I felt that somehow I was not strong enough, or I had more to learn in my walk, or my walk was not good. It is a struggle. Thank you for your comment
DeleteWhile their answer is rather simplistic I think they are on the right track. Robin Williams was more than a depressed addict. I have no idea what his religious views were but his political views were totally non-Christian and purposefully damaging to his own race and especially gender. All the wealth and fame in the world will do you no good when you have stabbed your brother in the back and turned away from God.
ReplyDeleteYou are doubly damned and destined for troubles.
By YOU I meant Robin himself not any body else :)
DeletePP, I believe that perhaps he would not have resorted to suicide had he had a relationship with the Lord.He also would have been a much different comedian. It is sad when anyone is lost, no matter who they are.
ReplyDeleteAnon, I am so tech illiterate lol. all I know is I use a blogger template and post from my computer....Maybe because I use all basic templates and do not add much? I will check out your blog, thank you so much for reading and commenting.
ReplyDeletePeace and Blessings
LTW