The Resurrection Is The Only Hope For The Mentally Ill

 "Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture that He must rise from the dead" -John 20:8 

As we gather this Easter Sunday to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ let us remember the reason for His sacrifice in the first place. The Lord had to suffer the brutality of the cross because of our wretched sin. The Scripture is clear that because of our sinful nature there is nothing good in us. I like the way that the Heidelberg Catechism puts it when it says that we by nature hate God and hate our neighbor. That is some pretty strong language! It is because of this very reason that if God would have left us to our own devices God would be just to condemn us to an eternity in hell where we will experience the full wrath of the Father. However, God has not left us in this state. According to Romans 5:8, 

"...but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us". 

This is an amazing truth that we must not let slip from our minds. The eternal Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe loves us so much that He willingly came to this earth as a flesh and blood human being in time and space in order to take the punishment that you and I deserve upon Himself at the cross. Let that truth sink in for a moment. John records that when Jesus hung there, He says "It is finished" right before breathing his last breath and at that moment all of our sins (past, present, and future sins) were forgiven because the insurmountable debt that we owed God was paid in full. Our salvation is eternally secure in Christ. 

This is not the end of the story because as we read in 1st Corinthians 15:3, 

"For I delivered to you as first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. Then He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me". (emphasis mine) 

Jesus rose bodily from the grave and because of this simple historical fact we now have the hope of a new life in Him. Our identities are not found in our mental illnesses but in the glorious Savior who rescued us from our sin. I know you may think that your life is alright because you have learned certain therapeutic techniques to modify your behavior and I do believe that those techniques do have value. However, without faith in Jesus Christ we are headed down a one way path to hell. It does not ultimately matter how much mindful exercises you practice or how much you use DBT or CBT skills. What ultimately matters is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I understand the difficulty of trying to manage your mental health symptoms because I have the same struggle. In this life we are going to suffer no matter what. The same fate befalls both believers and unbelievers, the rich and the poor. It does not matter if you are black or white or Asian or Hispanic. It does not even matter if you are a male or a female. Suffering comes to us all. However, in the midst of our sufferings, God promises to use it all for our good and His glory. Also, what looking towards the Resurrection gives us is real hope for the day when Jesus Christ returns in all His glory and splendor. On that marvelous day, Christ will restore the entire creation back to its former glory and make all things new. We will have new physical glorified bodies that will not be corrupted by sin. When that day comes, the Lord will wipe away all of our tears and there will be no more sin, death, sorrow, or suffering because Jesus will cast all of that into the Lake of Fire. This means there will be no more mental illness! That day will be a glorious day! However, until that day comes we must continue to live our lives in a way that displays honor to Christ while also at the same time we tell others about the hope we have in the Gospel. 

East To West by Casting Crowns

-David Lee Chu Sarchet 
Christian Mental Health Advocate 

For 24 hour peer support, please call the Christ-Centered Mental Health ministry line at 567-343-3727 or email me at christmentalhealth@gmail.com Lydia Sarchet: mrssccmh@gmail.com Britton Garleb: britaingabriel@protonmail.com Joe Roman: Twiztedmembrain@gmail.com Scott AKA Johnny Kangaroo: scottsoconmhs@outlook.com Dwayne McLeod: psyconatics@gmail.com Veronica Talbot: vtalbot747@gmail.com Amber Williams: shayneedm18@gmail.com Chuck Ward: wcw50@aol.com Sarah Olivia: sarahjesseolivia@gmail.com Amber Marie: amarie0193@gmail.com Zachary Uram: Netrek@gmail.com Joseph McDermott: jpmlovesjesus@live.com
Roselyn Morgan (Christ-Centered Mental Health Christian Counselor): RoselynMorgan53@yahoo.com

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