There is no shame in diabetes, there is no shame in high blood pressure, but why is it that if our brain stops working the way that it is supposed to, people are damned in that? A simple truth, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports that “nearly 1-in-5 adults in the U.S. – 43.8 million people will experience some form of mental health issue in a given year, and 21.4 percent of youth 13-18 will experience a severe mental disorder at some point during their lifetime.” Throughout Scripture, we see biblical figures such as David (Psalms. 38:4), Job (Job 3:26), Elijah (1 Kings 19:4), and Jonah (Jonah 4:3) dealing with deep feelings of despair, anger, depression, and loneliness. I believe that one of our greatest social sins is the lack of understanding and access to mental health education in the church. Individual care for those in the pews with mental health struggles seems to have gone by the wayside. The Church should be a place of safety and community where those who are struggling can be honest, ask people to rally around them in prayer, get guidance on what to do and who to talk to, and more times than not, the church fails. It seems that there are more hammers in the tool box than work gloves. It is written in *Galatians 6:2 Bear (endure, carry) one another’s burdens and troublesome moral faults, and in this way fulfill and observe perfectly the law of Christ (the Messiah) and complete what is lacking [in your obedience to it].* It is becoming imperative to begin a discourse around mental health in our faith communities so that we are not silencing those who live with and experience mental illness. We need to reach out and help them not feel alone or shunned because of something they have no control over. We are called to pray with those who are struggling within our church and treat them as fellow image-bearers. One of the greatest things to do is simply be available and walk with them through their struggle in the moment whenever you can. Only then will we love as the Lord Jesus loved, and manifest true compassion for those who are hurting. We have to stop letting mental health issues define a person, it is NOT their identity, so we as the church cannot let it define them. We as the body of Christ need to do our due diligence to learn how to help and be an advocate for those hiding what they go through in the darkness. pastord.blog