What My Near-Death Experience Taught Me About Life

As some of you may already know, I recently had a near-death experience last year. No, I am not talking about some out-of-body supernatural experience. I literally almost died in the hospital due to a perforated colon. What caused my colon to perforate you ask? It was a medication that I was prescribed called Clozapine. After a whole month of my wife and I reporting certain side effects to my nurse practitioner and him not listening to us, I finally had to get rushed to the emergency room. Some people would probably be pretty angry about this but I am not angry in the slightest because there has been good that has come from this just as God promises in Romans 8:28. What good could have come from this experience? For starters, my medication was greatly reduced because I was overly medicated and my bond with my wife has only strengthened. Also, I have learned valuable life lessons from this experience that I would like to share with you in this blog. I hope and pray that you will be encouraged and strengthened in your faith after reading this blog. The Lord will sometimes bring us to the end of our lives to teach us something we need to learn because He knows that that is what it will take to get our attention. These life lessons are the following: 

1) Life is Short-Live Each Day As If Its Your Last 
2) God is Sovereign Even Over Our Suffering 
3) Material Belongings Do Not Matter, Family & Friends Matter 
4) Trust in Christ Even If The Lord Kills You 
5) Man Needs God's Word Daily 

I will now elaborate on each of these points but I would like to first say that these are not the only lessons I've learned. They are simply the most important ones. 

Life is Short--Live Each Day As If Its Your Last 
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My near-death experience has really shown me just how fragile and fickle life really is. None of them are really promised tomorrow. Our culture tries to bombard us with messages about "preparing for a better tomorrow" but the truth is none of us can even know if we will live to see tomorrow. We can spend our whole lives preparing ourselves for that college education so that we can get a good career, then one day get into a freak car accident and it will all be for nothing. This is why it is better to live out our day as if there is no tomorrow. We should live today as if tomorrow we could be facing the Lord Himself. What is it that you would like the Lord to find you doing if He were to call you home right now? This is a question we all need to wrestle with but as for me, I want the Lord to find me to live my life in gratitude for what He has done for me on the cross. I understand my own sin and depravity and I understand how much He has shown me grace by taking my punishment upon Himself too. This knowledge causes me to want to give up my life for Him because He has given up His life for me. This is why I truly understand what John meant in 1 John 4:19 when he said, 


"We love because He first loved us" 

God is Sovereign Even Over Our Suffering 
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When I was in the hospital for three months last year, the Lord kept bringing to my mind Romans 8:28 which says, 

"And know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose" 

This verse is the simple most profound statement of truth that I have ever heard. My experience has taught me that no matter what this life brings me that God is still in control. It is God who is sovereign, not my circumstances or my disability. God promises that He will work everything out for my good and I know this to be true even if I do not always comprehend how or even feel like it is true. I know that my perceptions over any circumstance cannot be trusted, but I can always trust His word. I now realize just how fragile life really is but God is in control over whatever comes to pass. This is remarkable to me because my mania has a way of making me think that I am the master of my own fate, but in reality, it is actually Him who is the Master of the Universe. 

Material Possessions Do Not Matter, Family & Friends Are What Truly Matters
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This is a very important lesson that I learned because before my experience I was very much into material possessions. I know that this might come as a shock to those who know me personally, but it is true. While I have never been a rich man, I used to desire to have the latest piece of technology. The reason why I had this desire was primarily that deep down I believed that if I had the latest technology then I would truly matter. However, my experience has taught me that material items do not matter because you cannot take them with you when you die. However, what does truly matter is the lives of the people whom you touch while on this earth. My family and friends have really stepped up and been there for me during the darkest times in my life and this latest dark time was no different. It is because of this that I deeply cherish these people. 

Trust In The Lord Even If He Kills You 
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I know that this lesson might sound controversial to some of my readers, but it has been the biggest life lesson that I had to learn. I stated earlier that life is fragile and it is because of this that we need to trust in the Sovereignty of God. I know that this may sound scary because it requires us to give up control over our own lives, but the primary reason why we can trust in God's plan is that God truly is good. I have come to the realization that God is completely good no matter what my circumstances may say. It is for this reason that I say that no matter what I will trust in Jesus Christ even if the Lord kills me. This is remarkable for me to say this because on January 10th I have another life-changing surgery coming up and there is a possibility that I may not come out of it alive, but I trust in the Lord completely because I know that He is sovereign and He is good. I would like to live through the surgery so that I can continue enjoying my marriage and my ministry work but I love the Lord and I submit to His will no matter what. 

Man Needs God's Word Daily
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"But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

During my three-month hospital stay, one of the things that really got me through that experience was being able to read the Holy Scriptures. I recognize the importance of daily being fed by the word of God. When we are not in the Word, we will suffer terribly. However, when we are daily in the Scriptures, our spiritual life is strengthened. I know this is not easy to do because sometimes we do not feel like we want to read His word, but we must discipline our bodies to really study His word. We cannot live without physical food and at the same time, our spiritual lives cannot survive without the spiritual sustenance of the Word of God. 

-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate 

Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website

Check out the other CCMH Ministry Website

 

Benefits of Suffering

 

"Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hardworking farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding." 

In our modern society, we are constantly bombarded with messages everywhere telling us that we should not suffer, but instead, we should live lives of prosperity. These messages come in the form of media, other people, and even our own churches and they tell us that if we are suffering, then it is either our own fault or we "just do not have enough faith". The people who feed us this message want us to believe that if we just had enough faith then all will be well. However, the Gospel tells us a different story as our Lord and Savior tells us "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). While the world sees suffering as something bad that should be avoided, the word of God tells us that there are certain benefits to our suffering. I know that this may sound weird to some of my readers, but I firmly believe that "all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). In this blog, I shall discuss some of these benefits that come from suffering based on God's word. My prayer and hope for this blog are that as you read this, you will be encouraged as you go through any trial that the Lord has you in currently. However, I would like to say that if you are suffering due to living in sin, then the answer is to repent. As C.S. Lewis says, "Pain is God's megaphone to a deaf world" so God could be using this trial in your life in order to draw you to repentance and you should not ignore the call. If you are already a Christian and you are suffering then you are blessed as 1 Peter 3:14 tells us. As I can see from Scripture, there are four benefits that come from suffering. These benefits are the following: 

1) Suffering Keeps Us Humble 
2) Suffering Glorifies God 
3) We Suffer So We Can Comfort Others 
4) Suffering Matures Us 

I will now elaborate on each of these points, but I would like to say that I am not in any way saying that suffering is a good thing. Suffering in itself is evil and it is a result of the Fall of Adam, but God is sovereign over even the evil of suffering. I want you to keep that in mind as you read this blog. 

Suffering Keeps Us Humble 
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In 2 Corinthians 12:7, we read from the Apostle Paul the following, 

"So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited"

We do not know what Paul's thorn in the flesh is, but we do know that it caused Paul great distress because he pleaded with the Lord to remove it three times. Instead of removing his thorn, our Lord responded with "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness".  Paul understood that his suffering, in whatever form it was in, was to keep him humble. We all need to remember this because our natural tendency is to be puffed up with pride and arrogance. Sometimes the Lord will cause us to go through some horrific trial to keep us humble and dependent upon Him because "in him, we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:20). 

Suffering Glorifies God 
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When we look at 1 Peter 4:16 we read, 

"Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name" 

Whenever those of us who are called by the name of Christ suffer for His name, God is honored. This is important because as Christians we are hated by the world since we are God's possession. This means that we do not look or behave in the same way the world does and the world cannot stand us for it. If you notice that you have lost friends or that people mistreat you for being a Christian, you need to understand that the world hated Christ first. Since the world hates Christ, the world will hate His followers too. But, we need to remember the Lord's words in Matthew 5:11-12, 

"Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." 

We Suffer So That We Can Comfort Others 
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The Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, 

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God" 

I believe one of the primary reasons we suffer is so we can identify with those who suffer. We live in a fallen world and as a result, people suffer in this world. People need to know that there is hope in Jesus Christ, but they will most likely listen to someone who can identify with them over someone who cannot identify with them. A rape victim will most likely not listen to someone who has never been raped, but if someone can come alongside the victim and tell them how Christ can help them overcome based on personal experience then the victim will more than likely listen and have hope. As Christians, we are called to be the body of Christ who reaches out to this dark and dying, and hurting world with the hope of the Lord and Savior. 

Suffering Matures Us 
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In Romans 5:3-5, the Apostle Paul tells us, 

"Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" 

God uses our suffering to really mold and shape us into the people He wants us to be. I once heard an analogy of the way gold is refined in a furnace by being placed directly in the center of the flame. In the same way, God will often place us in the harshest of circumstances and trials to refine our faith and shape our character. It may not seem very pleasant at the time, but no discipline is ever pleasant. When we were children, our parents would discipline us and while at the time we did not like it, now we are thankful for their discipline because we know they did it out of love and concern for us. As our Heavenly Father, the Lord disciplines us in the same way, and we should be thankful for His discipline too because we know that He cares for us. Also, the Lord promises to sustain us through our trials and tribulations because He will never leave us. So, we can trust in His sovereignty. 

It may seem like since I am writing about this that I have some rock-solid faith in God and that nothing will ever shake me up. If you have ever thought that about me, you would be wrong. Actually, I recently had an experience last year that almost made me deny the faith. When I was in the hospital for three months due to a perforated colon, my old anger against God came rising up again. I thought to myself that He must really hate me and I was beginning to hate him again too. I was even beginning to think blasphemous thoughts again and I refused to pray or acknowledge Him. However, through it all the Lord was patient with me as He kept bringing to my mind Romans 8:28. All of a sudden, my spirits began to lift as I started to trust in Him again. Slowly I started to realize that even though I may never understand why I had to go through this experience God is still good and He still deserves my praise. I also realized that somehow this experience will work out for my good and so far it has because I am no longer overly medicated as I once was and my relationship with my wife is much closer too. Also, that experience birthed the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry. God really does work all things for the good of those who love Him. Soli Deo Gloria! 

I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog and I hope that you have found this to be a blessing to you and glorifying to God. May the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!! 

-David Lee Chu Sarchet 
Christian Mental Health Advocate 

Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry

Check out the other Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website

A Biblical Defense For Infant Baptism & How It Should Affect Mental Health

 

In traditional Christian circles, there is a huge debate going on concerning not only the mode of baptism but also who should participate in baptism. Presbyterians say that while an adult who converts to Christianity should be baptized, children born in Christian households should also be baptized. Baptists deny infant baptism by saying that only those who are old enough to profess faith in Christ should be baptized and since babies cannot profess faith in Christ they should not be baptized. Only one side is correct while the other is in serious error. But, which side is the biblical one? As a devout Presbyterian, I believe that infants who belong to the covenant community should be baptized and in this blog, I shall give a biblical defense for why that is the case. However, this blog shall be different than most defenses for infant baptism because I shall also tell you how infant baptism has a positive impact on one's mental health. My prayer for this blog will open your eyes to the beauty of infant baptism while I fully acknowledge that this is a very controversial issue. I also pray that this blog will open your mind to looking more deeper into this topic as this will not be a comprehensive defense. I intend this to just be an introduction to the topic. For a more detailed defense of infant baptism, I recommend you check out a book titled "The Case For Covenantal Infant Baptism" which was edited by Dr. Gregg Strawbridge.  I would like to first say that I am not advocating for baptismal regeneration because I do not believe that baptism is what saves anyone. Only faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will save people. That is an important point to make because many Christians accuse us Presbyterians of believing in baptismal regeneration, even though we fundamentally reject that. Also, I would like to say that there are no explicit commands in Scripture to forbid infant baptism nor are there any explicit Scriptures that demand infant baptism. This means that both sides must draw their conclusions based off of inferences from key texts of the Bible. I have found that the Presbyterian interpretation of baptism makes the most sense when you take the whole counsel of God together along with a proper understanding of the biblical covenants found in the Old Testament and the New Testament. So, what exactly is this biblical defense for infant baptism? 

Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 27 

Q. Are infants also to be baptized? 
A. Yes, for since they, as well as the adult, are included in the covenant and church of God; and since redemption from sin by the blood of Christ, and the Holy Ghost, the author of faith, is promised to them no less than to the adult; they must therefore by baptism, as a sign of the covenant, be also admitted into the Christian church, and be distinguished from the children of unbelievers as was done in the old covenant or testament by circumcision, instead of which baptism is instituted in the new covenant." 

As you can see, infant baptism has a historical precedent in the Reformed Christian tradition. One could say that infant baptism is a defining characteristic of the Reformed faith and to deny infant baptism is to deny a fundamental tenant of Reformed theology. According to this text, we base our belief in infant baptism on a proper and full understanding of how the Old Covenant translates into the New Covenant. But, what is the Scripture text that supports this claim? If we turn to Colossians 2:11-12 we read the following, 

"In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead" 

As you can clearly see here, the Apostle Paul so closely identifies circumcision with baptism that it is undeniable that they are related. But, wait, does not Paul speak out against circumcision elsewhere in the New Testament? Yes, he does, but why is that? It is because Paul knew that just as circumcision was the sign of the Old Covenant baptism is the sign of the New Covenant. Our Baptist brothers and sisters need to seriously jump through exegetical loops just to explain this text away because the correlation is not difficult to comprehend. So, I know that some of you may be wondering if there are any examples in Scripture of infant baptisms taking place. After all, we do have many examples of adults being baptized so what about babies? Before I answer that question, I would like to direct your attention to Peter's sermon in Acts chapter 2 that he gave on the day of Pentecost. After he gave this riveting sermon, the people asked him what they must do to be saved and Peter gave a very profound answer. In verses 38-39 we read the following, 

"And Peter said to them, 'Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself" 

What is this promise that Peter is referring to? Obviously, he is referring to the promise of salvation and he is saying that it is for us AND our children. This would mean that our children are part of the Covenant community. If that text were not clear enough for you, let's turn to 1 Corinthians 7:14 which says, 

"For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is they are holy" 

This is the clear covenantal language because to be "unclean", according to the Old Covenant meant to be outside of the Covenant. So, Paul was saying that children born to at least one believing parent are inside the Covenant. This is why Paul can say that these children are holy, which means they are set apart for God. You may ask me in what way are the unbelieving spouses considered holy according to this text, but that is just about the fact that the whole household has come under the influence of God's work because of the believing spouse. 

Now, you are probably still wondering about those examples of infant baptisms in Scripture right? In Acts 18:8 we read the following, 

"Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household..." 

Also, in Acts 16:31 and 33 we read about the Philippian jailer, 

"And they said, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household... And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family." 

Furthermore, Paul mentions baptizing the household of Stephanas in 1 Corinthians 1:16 when he says, 

"I did also baptize the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else."

The bottom line is there many examples of household baptisms where entire families were baptized. My question for you is this: If we know that children were involved in the Covenant for literally thousands of years prior and then all of a sudden were no longer part of the New Covenant, then why isn't there any explanation as to why that is? That would be such a radical change that an explanation would be warranted, but instead, we see these examples where entire families were baptized. This should give us good reason to conclude that babies were baptized since they were considered part of the New Covenant community. 

So, how does all this relate to mental health? As it turns out, there are quite a few benefits this should have on mental health. As Bryan Chapell perfectly explains in the book "The Case For Covenantal Infant Baptism", 

"...a child is surrounded and embraced by the testimony of Christ at every turn in life. Thus, the church becomes God's instrument for presenting the reality of Himself to the heart and mind of the child. A child with such an experience, fostered at his baptism and nourished throughout his life by a mature body of believers, breathes the truths of grace as naturally and consciously as he breathes air" 

As a result of this, if possible, the children of Christian parents may never know a day when they will not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior because their baptism has sealed them for belief. The child's baptism will always serve as a salient reminder of God's grace in their lives and that the Lord will never leave nor forsake them. Also, when the child is brought into the Covenant community they are brought into a family who loves and cares for them and who will pray for, support, and nourish them as they grow into adulthood. Numerous studies have shown the positive benefits that being part of a community will have on mental health. Current research has also shown that young childhood is a  pivotal moment in a child's development into the people they will grow to become. It is almost as if God knew what He was doing by involving His people in the Covenant community from such a young age. 

I hope that this sparks your interest for you to do some further study into this fascinating subject. I appreciate you taking the time to read this blog and I pray you found it edifying to you and glorifying to God. May the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!  

Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website

Check out the other Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website

A Word of Encouragement For The Depressed & Lonely on this Christmas season

 

As we come closer to the birthday of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we realize this is a time for great rejoicing. We understand that the coming of the Savior meant the salvation of His people from their sins. However, for many people, this time of year is not such a joyous occasion. For far too many people this time of year evokes emotions of sadness, despair, and loneliness. Whether you are someone who may have lost a loved one, gone through a divorce, or may just be experiencing the holiday blues, this blog is meant to give you some encouragement from God's word. The Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:4-7, 

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 

Paul is not merely suggesting to us to always rejoice but this is actually a command and before you say "well, that was easy for Paul to say, he was an apostle of Jesus Christ", keep in mind that he was commanding this while locked up inside a roman prison! If you know anything about roman prisons in the first century, you would know that it was absolutely no picnic in the park. As a matter of fact, Paul would have been subjected to some of the worst possible inhumane treatment known to man, Our modern-day American prisons look like hotel resorts compared to these roman prisons. Yet, Paul could command us to always rejoice because he has discovered the secret for himself being able to always rejoice even under the worst of circumstances. We, Christians, have every reason to rejoice and in this blog, I shall give you four biblical reasons why we can always rejoice. My hope and prayer for you are that after you read this you will love the Lord even more because of His immeasurable and amazing grace that He bestows on us unworthy sinners. 

Reason #1:

 "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" -Romans 8:1 

As Christians who have submitted to the Lordship of Christ, we will never be condemned by God. This is because our Lord and Savior have already taken our condemnation upon Himself on the cross. When Jesus went to the cross and said "It is finished", He fully satisfied the wrath of God on our behalf. This means that no matter what we say or do in this life, it will never be held against us. Our debt to God has fully been paid and God will never hold our sins against us. Moralism is deadly because it denies this most basic and fundamental truth of the Gospel and it robs Christians of the joy of their salvation. 

Reason #2: 

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him" 

As Christians, we have a rich and glorious inheritance awaiting us: the New Heavens and New Earth (Revelation 21). At the consummation of the New Heavens and New Earth, there will be no more sin, sickness, sorrow, pain, or suffering because God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. As a matter of fact, the word of God tells us that "no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor mind has conceived what God has planned for those who love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9).  Also, for those of us who are in Christ, God sees us as fully blameless and holy before Him because when He sees us He sees the righteousness of Christ. This is true no matter what we do or say ever in this life. We are always holy and blameless in His sight. 

Reason #3: 

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go forth, therefore, and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age." -Matthew 28:18-20

For those who are in Christ, we have the promise that The Lord will always be with us. He will never forsake us or abandon us as orphans. This is amazing news for those of us who struggle with loneliness because we know that we have the eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient God with us no matter where we go and no matter what we do. He is always right there with us in everything. As a matter of fact, even when we are about to commit sin, God is right there with us. He has chosen to remain faithful to us even when we are unfaithful to Him because He cannot deny Himself. 

Reason #4: 

"No, in all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers nor height nor depth nor anything in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus" -Romans 8:37-39 

For anyone who is of God's elect in Christ, there is nothing in this creation that will ever separate us from His love. This means that no amount of sin we commit will ever cause the Father to not love us anymore. We can never out sin His immeasurable grace. As a matter of fact, where sin abounds, grace abounds even more! Our mental illnesses or even our physical illnesses cannot even separate us from the Father's love either. God is good and merciful to us even when we are faithless towards Him. There is absolutely nothing at all that will ever cause the Father to be displeased with us because He is forever pleased with His Son, Jesus Christ. 

I hope that by now you can see that we Christians have every reason to rejoice this season because of what our Lord and Savior has done for us and hopefully now your spirits may be lifted during this time. I thank you for reading this blog and I hope that the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all! Merry Christmas! Soli Deo Gloria! 

-David Lee Chu Sarchet 
Christian Mental Health Advocate

Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website  

Check out the other Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website

5 Questions About Marriage & Mental Illness ANSWERED!

 

Recently, my wife wrote a blog about five questions she wanted to answer concerning marriage and mental illness and she wanted me to write a blog answering the same questions from the perspective of someone with mental illness. The purpose of this is to encourage those who are in marriages that are dealing with mental illness to remain faithful in their covenant marriages before God. Studies have shown that a disproportionately high rate of marriages end in divorce when mental illness is involved. This is an unfortunate reality for far too many people and I just know this is not what God would want because as Malachi 2:16 puts it, God hates divorce. Why does God hate divorce so much? Well, to answer that question, we must look to see what Scripture says the purpose of marriage is about. Ephesians 5:31-32 tells us, 

"'Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'. This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church." 

Marriage is a mirror image of Christ's relationship with His church. This is why divorce is so heinous in God's eyes because it distorts that image. Jesus would never divorce His church. So, when we make our vows before God to remain faithful to our covenant spouses, we should take them seriously because it is a grievous thing when we break our vows made before the Almighty. These five questions that I shall be answering will be from my perspective as someone who struggles with mental illness and then after you read my blog please read my wife's blog titled On Marriage and Mental Illness: 5 Questions. Please keep in mind that my views are entirely subjective to me but hopefully my answers will resonate with some people and help them as they are dealing with their own marriages. 

1) Do you worry about how your wife views you because of your mental illness? 

Honestly, I am always worried about how she views me because of the shame surrounding my illness and my psychotic episodes. I am very much afraid of losing her because she will think she can do better than me. I understand that my psychosis can, and often does, cause me to do humiliating things and I am always worried about doing something in public that will embarrass her. I know that it would not be my fault if this happens but the thought still haunts me. This is one of the reasons why I am so adamant about making sure I take my medication regularly/ My wife's constant loving reassurance helps me tremendously when I start to worry about how she views me. When she does this it tells me that everything is well between us and I do not worry anymore. 

2) Do you worry about how the world sees your marriage because of your mental illness? 

I think about this all the time because I worry that people do not see our marriage as legitimate. After all, it is not traditional. I worry that people see me as "less manly" because I am not the primary breadwinner and this causes me a lot of shame too. This is part of the reason I work so tirelessly in my ministry work. Also, I worry that people see our marriage as incomplete because we do not have children yet. Most marriages that I see usually have children shortly after "getting hitched" but we are almost three years in and still we have no children. This is a deep sense of concern for me. Sometimes I worry about whether or not people do not see me as a legitimate leader for my wife too. 

3) How important that you communicate your symptoms to your wife? How easy is this for you to do? 

This is difficult for me to answer. I need to communicate my symptoms to my wife. I desperately want her to understand me better and to understand what I experience better too. I know that if I can fully explain myself to her my experiences then she will have a better understanding of how to help me. However, the problem is that I do not always know how to properly explain my experiences to her because I do not fully understand my own experiences myself. Sometimes I lack the words to know how to fully explain what I am going through and that really bothers me. It helps that she is willing to do her own research into my illness and to even look to other people who talk about their own experiences too. 

4) Do you see your marriage as different from other marriages because of your mental illness? 

Ah, good question! I do see my marriage as different than other marriages, but I see every marriage as different than other marriages. No two marriages are alike because every marriage brings with them its own unique struggles. Some marriages deal with financial struggles while others do not. Some marriages deal with cancer while others do not. Every marriage is different. 

5) In what ways has your mental illness blessed your marriage? 

The most important blessing that my mental illness has been for me in my marriage is that it has caused me to be more humble and compassionate towards my wife. I am not afraid to show my flaws in front of her and I understand that she has her own flaws as well. This has caused me to be more patient with her as I deal with her flaws. Also, my mental illness has caused our bond to become stronger too. Last year, when I almost died due to a medication called Clozapine, my wife really stepped up as she showed her love and commitment to me. It is because of this that I fully appreciate her even more because she could have easily walked out of my life. Also, when my ex has been trying to tear us apart, my wife refuses to leave my side. This causes me to feel grateful to God for her because I know that I have a good and godly woman in my life. She really does make me desire to be a better man of God for her and for my Lord. 

I hope that by now you can see that marriage is possible even when people are dealing with mental illness and I hope that this blog encourages you to be more faithful to your covenant spouse. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and may the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all! 

-David Lee Chu Sarchet 
Christian Mental Health Advocate 

Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website

Check out the other CCMH ministry website

Dealing With Consequences Of Mania, But Covered By The Grace Of God In Christ

 

A few months ago, I wrote a blog titled Dealing With A Narcissistic Relationship? GET OUT NOW! where I talked about my experience with my ex, Natasha Ortiz, and how she has been currently harassing my wife and me. Well, I have been reminded that a while back she threatened to publicly display some photos of me where I am not shown in a very flattering light. It is true that many years ago, I was caught acting in ways that were unbecoming of someone who professes the name of Jesus Christ. The truth is during the time I was with my ex, I was severely mentally unstable due to being misdiagnosed and wrongly medicated too. This does not excuse my behavior. Mental illness never excuses sinful behavior, but it does provide the context for sinful behavior because it can lead one into sinful actions. I do take full accountability for the wrong things that I did but I just want people to understand that everything I did was because of my mental instability. I have dealt with the shame of my previous actions as they still haunt me to this very day. The purpose of this blog is to encourage those of you who struggle with feelings of shame because of a manic episode you have been in. 

In the gospel of John chapter 19:30, Jesus says, "It is finished" after taking a sip of the sour wine the Romans offered him because He was thirsty. At that moment, our Lord breathed His last breath and all of our sins (past, present, and future) were erased. This means that our sins, regardless of whether they were done in our right minds or not, were completely forgiven because the penalty was paid for in full. God will never hold anything we ever do against us because all of God's wrath has been fully satisfied by Christ on the cross. If this were all that God left us with, that would be enough, but there is more to the story because our Lord literally rose from the dead! 

Since Christ has risen from the dead, His resurrection means a new life for those of us who are in Him. My life is not my own because I belong to my Lord Jesus Christ and it is because of His resurrection that I am literally a new creation. This is not poetry but it is literally true of me. This means that my sins or even my mental illness do not define who I am. Your sins or your mental illness don't define who you are. What defines us is who we are in Christ. According to 1 Peter 2:9, we are a "chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession..." Our identity must be based on what Christ and what He has done for us and not on anything else whatsoever. We should say along with the Apostle Paul in Galatians 2:20 that "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me." When we adopt this mindset, we will understand that our identity is Christ living inside of us, not who our clinical diagnoses say we are. The Lord is supreme and His word is true and His word defines reality. Thus, we can trust what His word says about us. 

Personal Apology: 

I would like to tell Natasha Ortiz that I am personally sorry for my behavior during the time when I was manic and for how my actions may have affected her. I have never meant to hurt her, but I do understand that my actions have left a deep scar on her. I hope and pray that she can and will truly forgive me and that she will one day come to know the forgiveness of the great Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in a personal salvific way. I hope she understands that I do live with this shame and that she will eventually decide to leave my wife and me alone. 

Supportive Wife: 

I am very thankful to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because through all of this harassment has been standing by my side. My wife understands that I tend to do things that I do not mean to do while manic and she chooses not to hold them against me because she loves me with the love of Christ. God has really shown me how much He loves me through the way she demonstrates His love. It is vitally important that those of us who have a mental illness have a support system of people who care for us around us at all times because it is dangerous for us to be alone especially when we are feeling feelings of shame. I would highly recommend that you take the time to identify who your support system is and thank God for them and then take some time to show them some appreciation too. 

I really thank you for taking the time to read this blog and I hope that you found it edifying to you and glorifying to the Lord Jesus Christ. May the grace of God richly bless you all!! 

-David Lee Chu Sarchet 
Christian Mental Health Advocate 

Check Out The Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website

Check Out The Other Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website

 

Is Suicide The Unforgiveable Sin?

 

As some of you may know already, actor and MMA fighter Jason David Frank recently committed suicide. His departure was as controversial as it was tragic. The reason it's so controversial is that Jason was  a professing believer in Jesus Christ and many Christians are divided on whether or not he was truly saved. I would like to say that we should be very careful about pronouncing judgment on someone we do not even personally know, but also this dispute is indicative of a larger controversy within Christendom. That controversy is over the topic of whether or not suicide is an unforgivable sin. Regardless of where you fall on this debate, we should be concerned with what the Bible says if it says anything at all. Unfortunately, the Bible is silent concerning this topic so we can only infer based on what some texts say. However, one can build a pretty strong case based on Scripture that suicide is not unforgivable and the people who say that it is unforgivable have more in line with Roman Catholicism than with the Bible. That fact alone should bother any devout Protestant Christian! In this blog, I shall attempt to give a pretty strong case for why suicide is not unforgivable based on the text in Romans 8:37-39. If you are not familiar with that text it says, 

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor demons, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord"

In this text, the Apostle Paul is clearly talking about how nothing in all of creation will be able to separate us from God's love. This means that no circumstance, health problem, spiritual force, or anything else in all creation will ever keep us from the love of God. We cannot even keep ourselves from His love. And notice how Paul says, "neither death nor life" in this text and he did not specify that he only meant natural death either. So, we can only assume that he was speaking about all death in general. This would include suicide as a form of death and so we can say that the Apostle Paul would conclude that not even the sin of suicide can separate us from God's love. But, you may now ask, "So, what? Aren't we all loved by God?" Hold on a second because that is not what Scripture teaches and this text is specifically about believers. However, if we turn to Psalm 11:5 we read, 

"The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence" 

Did you catch that? God hates the wicked. So if God literally hates the wicked and yet in Romans 8:37-39 Paul tells us that believers cannot be separated from God's love, then it is safe to say that God only loves those whom He is saving. In other words, only those who call on the name of the Lord are loved by God and are hence not going to ever be separated from Him. 

You may now ask me, how can one repent after he has already committed suicide? However, for everyone who puts their faith in Christ all our sins in the past, present, and future have already been forgiven! Furthermore, by that logic, if you needed to ask for forgiveness for every sin you ever committed otherwise your salvation would be in jeopardy then we would all be doomed because we all sin every day in our thoughts, words, and deeds. If you ever gave some one the bird who cut you off on the freeway, you would be in trouble if in the next second someone ran you down and killed you. The  good news is that according to Ephesians 1:3-6 we believers were predestined for salvation before the foundations of the world. If you are not familiar with that text, it says, 

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundations of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love, he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he blessed us in the Beloved" 

God predestined us for salvation and this means that He even predestined how we would die too. Some people were predestined to die by suicide while others by other means, but this does not mean that our salvation is predicated by the specific way that we died. No, our salvation is determined by God alone who predestines us for salvation by the grace of Christ alone. 

As tragic as Jason's death was, if he was truly a believer then he is with the Lord right now. My heart goes out to his family because I cannot even imagine how they must be feeling. We should be in prayer for his wife and children whom he left behind but we should not condemn him for what he did. Suicide and Depression are serious business and the last thing these people need is for crazy fundamentalists to breathe condemnation down their throats. This is an opportunity for those of us who truly know Christ to share the love of Christ with these people or with anyone we know who is hurting. We need to uplift the brokenhearted because that is what Christ was truly about in the business of doing. If you know someone who is depressed please do not heap more guilt and shame on them because that is not what they need. What they need is to know that you care and you are there for them. Do not be like Job's "miserable counselors" who were of use as a friend and ultimately were rebuked by God. 

-David Lee Chu Sarchet 
Christian Mental Health Advocate 

Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website

Check out the other CCMH Ministry Website

Schizophrenia & Smoking

 

There is a very disturbing trend amongst those of us who struggle with Schizophrenia. According to Web MD, roughly over 80% of people with our disorder smoke cigarettes. On the one hand, I know why smoking cigarettes appeals so much to us (I am a long-time smoker myself) but on the other hand, I know just how detrimental this practice really is. If you are someone who struggles with Schizophrenia and is a smoker, then this blog is written specifically for you and I want you to know that I do not cast any judgment on you whatsoever because I can identify with you. Smoking cigarettes is a tough habit to break for anyone, especially for those of us with mental illness. In this blog, I shall talk about the pros and cons of cigarette smoking and then give some tips on how to quit smoking too but keep in mind that these tips are what I have found to help me. You may find that there are other things that many other things may help you or you may have some new ideas to implement after reading this blog. Regardless of what you decide to do, the decision should be made solely by you and you alone after you consider all the information. 

As I previously stated, there are some positive things about smoking cigarettes when you are dealing with Schizophrenia. These positive things are what make smoking so appealing to us too. Some of these are the following: 

-Reducing Stress 
-Suppress Hallucinations 
-Suppress Mania 
-Suppress Delusions 

I fully understand why one would choose to remain smoking because experiencing mania, hallucinations, and delusions is not fun. These experiences actually lead one to feel intense feelings of shame which could then lead one to feelings of depression and suicidal ideation. So, when you consider this it really does make a whole lot of sense why people would decide it is better to smoke to alleviate the symptoms of Schizophrenia. 

However, even though there are some positive things to smoking cigarettes, they are canceled out by all the negative things. These things include the following: 

-Causes You To Urinate Your Medication 
--Causes You To Have Increased Anxiety When Not Smoking 
-Destroys Physical Health Such As Heart, Lungs, Teeth, ETC... 

Even if you do not care about your physical health, it should bother you that cigarette smoking causes you to urinate your medication. It should bother you because then your medication will not have its full effect, which could lead to more hallucinations, delusions, and mania. This, in turn, can lead you to either death or imprisonment. So, you must do whatever it takes for you to maximize the use of your medication. 

Now, here are some tips that may help you quit smoke (if that is what you decide): 

-Going For A Walk 
-Nicotine Gum, patches, or lozenges (If you cannot afford these, you can get a limited supply from the 1-800-QUITNOW line)
-Get An Accountability Partner 
-Replace Smoking With A Healthy Hobby 
-Meditate on God's Word 
-Spend Time With God in Prayer 

As I said, I know how difficult it is for people to quit smoking. As a matter of fact, I have failed just today even though I have gone just about two months without smoking. However, I am reminded of Romans 8:1 which says, 

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" 

If you have failed, it is perfectly fine. You are not condemned because Jesus has taken your condemnation upon Himself at the cross. Keep that in mind as you move forward in His grace. 

I really do appreciate you taking the time to read my blog and I hope that you found this edifying to you and glorifying to God. May the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!! 

-David Lee Chu Sarchet 
Christian Mental Health Advocate 

Check Out The Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website

Check out the other ministry website