“There are some who
take anti-depressants and communion and there are those who think both are a
crutch.” –Ann Voskamp
Last Saturday, upon hearing the
news that Rick Warren’s son had committed suicide after a long battle with
depression and mental illness, my heart broke.
My heart broke for his family & those who knew him well, & my
heart broke for the realization of depravity, that death always seems to reveal.
Despite our efforts to recognize the beauty that can result after it is over,
death is never a pretty thing.
Humans weren’t meant
to suffer.
Humans weren’t meant
to take their own lives.
Humans weren’t meant
to die.
But as it often does, heartbreak reveals the disintegration
of what was meant to be. Hearts weren’t
meant to break. But they do, & their brokenness mirrors a broken world that
will continue to break, aching to be redeemed. On Saturday, I found myself
painfully aware of my desire for redemption here. I wanted it now.
When I chose to pursue occupational
therapy, I knew that mental health would be a world I would become submersed
in. Despite my habituation to the topic, hearing about these tragedies never
gets easier for me. & I hope it never does. As I first sat down to write this post, I wanted to talk
about the broader scope of public opinion behind mental health. But after reading
comment after comment about how this man’s death could have and should have
been prevented-most lacking a shred of compassion or understanding for the
complexity behind depression & mental illness- I changed my mind. I couldn’t
handle the stigmas I found, the ignorance, or the lack of sensitivity for such a
painful subject. My cynicism didn’t need the fuel. Instead, I found myself
thinking about the bigger picture. Not everybody is depressed. Not everybody
wants to take his or her own life. But everybody is broken.
He is.
I am.
You are.
Thoughts like this keep me up at night, but thankfully, that
is not the end of the story. All week, I’ve
been thinking about the conclusion that is yet to come—the redemption that I
feel my heart longing for, where there is no more death, longing, or pain. My heart aches for it now, but I can rest in
the promise that it is coming.
“Light pried through the dark. A shaft came through the
window like a lifeline. & The birds
sang, & we heard them.”
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