Mental illness is not a walk in the park. I’ve been fighting depression since the third grade. I’m about to turn forty-six. I know a thing or two about this debilitating illness, and as my journey progresses through its ups and downs I can’t possibly number the conversations and cups of coffee I’ve with others about it as well.

Nothing is changed or managed if it’s not faced, and when you deny its reality you only prolong the inevitable stuff that hits the fan. I’m sure you know what I mean. As a Christian I strive not to use expletives, but I give you fair warning that this blog might occasionally let one fly for emphasis sake only.

Anger management is one of the symptoms I fight with daily in my journey with depression, but as time has progressed I’ve learned to control that much better by the power of the Holy Spirit. I assure you I’ve not been able to control in my sinful nature.

I don’t know Jesus’ specific dealings with mental illness in the first century, but I can conjecture that there are many stories in the pages of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and New Testament that could be argued in favor of individuals who fought mental illness.

We’ve been silent far too long about mental illness, and I add my voice to the ocean of thought about mental illness, most notably depression. It’s not a matter of reading the Bible more, praying more or going to church more that some “well-meaning” people have prescribed. There is an army of resources out there now that can restore a quality of life that wasn’t even available when my wife and I got married twenty years ago.

Here’s to learning more about depression, “healing” from this thorn in the flesh, and giving others hope in their walk with mental illness.

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton