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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: The Deep End (03/06/14)
Most people, I am sure, have heard the expression, “he/she went off the deep end.” This ordinarily is not a good thing. It means that someone has lost a sense of grounding and is now sinking. I have known several people, good Christian people, who temporarily “went off the deep end” through suffering episodes of bi-polar disorder. The dark abyss of mental agony is something that cannot be adequately described, it must be experienced to fully understand. Certainly, most, if not all, human beings have suffered internal darkness and hopelessness at some point in their lives, to varying degrees to be sure. But there is something different between an otherwise sound human being who suffers mentally, as the result of painful circumstances of some sort, and between someone who is mentally sick, or chemically unbalanced. Mental sickness is something that is rarely talked about in the church, from my experience. I think that many Christians are afraid even of the term “mental sickness.” Others, don’t feel as though a “true” Christian should ever suffer from mental illness, or any illness for that matter. For, after all, didn’t Jesus come to heal, to deliver and to give life? It is easier for some to quarantine life, and God, into a neat little box than it is to face the stark realities of pain, injustice and suffering. It is easier for some to blame the sick than it is to acknowledge that, perhaps, God has permitted, or even foreordained, this suffering for a reason. It can be easier for the relatively healthy and the prosperous to mentally categorize the sick and the poor as being spiritually “deficient” in some way (even if they wouldn’t overtly acknowledge this) than it is for them to believe that God may have a greater purpose that He is working out in the darkness.

After the death of Mother Teresa (the Albanian nun who pioneered the ministry that now operates 600 missions worldwide) her anguish ladened private letters, written to her spiritual mentors, were compiled into the book 'Come Be My Light'. The letters were released in spite of her request, while living, to keep them private. The book is a difficult read. In her letters, Mother Teresa is revealed as a women of tremendous faith, selflessness and deep love, yet she is also revealed as a woman who suffered severe mental agony, depression and a near loss of faith at times. This revelation of suffering might be easier to comprehend if Mother Teresa were a selfish woman (who presumably would deserve such suffering) yet she was not. Her life, lived amongst the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta, India is one of the clearest examples of any modern soul who took seriously the call to “lose his life for (Christ’s) sake.” (Matthew 10:39) So, why did God allow her to suffer in such a way? It certainly aligns with normal human nature to want to neatly compartmentalize everything, including our faith and understanding of God. We want the wicked to suffer and the righteous to prosper. This makes sense. But what do we make of situations where the opposite is occurring? I suggest that this paradox would not surprise us in the slightest if we were truly people of the Scriptures. Have we not read the agony of the Psalmists who graphically bemoan this very reality?

If the Scriptures are full of the realities of suffering, even for the most faithful (perhaps even as a result of that faithfulness), than why are we confounded when we, or others, go through seasons of deep darkness. Now, I am a strong believer in the promised transformation of the willing human being through the intertwining of God’s nature with our own. I am being transformed more and more everyday into the likeness and freedom of Christ. But the deeper the work of God is in my life, the more His holy nature presses into my soul, the more clearly I see the depth of my problem with self. I have come to realize that suffering is oftentimes the only path that will lead us to despair of self and to more fully embrace the life of Christ in us, our only hope. If this is the case then, perhaps, it is those who suffer the most, with the end result of deeper death to self-absorption and greater union with Christ, who will be revealed, in fact, to be the most blessed of all in the end.
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This article has been read 546 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
C D Swanson 
03/13/14
Well done! On topic along with a good message.

God bless~
Wendy B McLain
03/16/14
What an excellent article. And, so true. Spot on topic.

I'm sure it was just overlooked as, Mother Teresa is revealed as a women of tremendous faith, should read, Mother Teresa is revealed as a woman of tremendous faith,

I really enjoyed reading this article and your words flowed smoothly but it would have been a little easier to read if the paragraphs had been broken up a bit more.

Being spot on topic could make you a winner this week.

Good luck!

Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
03/17/14
I enjoyed this piece and think you did a great job. You instantly had my attention. Mental illness has been taboo for a long time. We've made progress, but still have a way to go.

In your opening, try to avoid defining the topic. Instead start right off with people not understanding mental illness and churches not speaking on it. You don't have to use the topic words to be spot on topic. In the message boards, there is a great thread called Jan's Writing Basics. She just did a class on beginning a story. Jan is wonderful at replying to anyone who posts. I'd urge you to check it out as she has outstanding advice for writers of all levels.

I do think you nailed the topic. I could feel your passion in each word. I think you are doing a wonderful service by focusing on this uncomfortable topic. I didn't know any if that about Mother Teresa. Although, in a way I wish her wish had been respected, I suspect had she any idea if the hearts she would touch and the difference her words make, she would want to share it. Your words are making a difference in ways you can never imagine and I thank you for your courage and have no doubt God will bless many through your words.
Judy Sauer 
03/19/14
You captured the stigma of mental illness quite well. It is sad that society and within families that sufferers are not always believed. You aptly covered the anguish of Mother Teresa's interior life of quiet chaos and unable to hear God despite being the hands of Christ daily.

This was listed as fiction however I believe such a reflection is non-fiction.

You have a way with words. Good for you.
Philippa Geaney
03/19/14
Great piece. Well written. I too think it is more non-fiction than fiction and nicely on topic.
I wonder were you calling it fiction as a means of underlining the fact that it is an expression of your opinion? Just a thought. Again-well done.
Larry Whittington
03/19/14
This seemed a little difficult to read.

Was it because of the longer sentences?? (Question to myself.)

Some of the sentences could have been shortened by removing unnecessary words. Other sentences could have been written as two sentences.

Mental illness may be an awkward subject to many but you have put it out there for all of us to consider.