Hey, y’all –
I recently read the following Scripture: “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.” -John 11:4 and I think that this should be the Scripture for anyone who has a mental illness or supports someone who does.
Bipolar disorder is like any physical sickness, except it doesn’t go away. But you do take medication for it, and after awhile, you do get better.
Now, I’m not condoning those who use their bipolar disorder as a sickness as an excuse for why they are the way they are or do what they do. There, I think we need to take responsibility, and can’t blame our disorder.
There’s another Scripture that I use for my bipolar disorder: “For I do not have the power of fear, but of power and of love and of a SOUND MIND.” (emphasis mine).
It’s interesting to see places in the Bible that can apply to mental illness.
To me it proves the Scripture that says, “God is concerned with ALL that concerns you.” (emphasis mine).
Another one is “Cast ALL your anxiety on the Lord, for he cares for you.” (emphasis mine).
There have been times when I’ve been very depressed, and my only solace came from the Bible. To read that God is as concerned with my bipolar disorder as I am, gave me comfort. As have those other Scriptures as well.
Too many people with bipolar disorder feel as if God has forsaken them in their “sickness,” but that just isn’t true. He said, “I will NEVER leave you nor forsake you.” (emphasis mine). He is still with you, even through your disorder.
I don’t know why God allowed me to have bipolar disorder. I prayed for healing many times in the beginning, before I resigned myself to the fact that BP was going to remain “a thorn in my side.”
In the Bible, it says that Paul (one of the disciples of Jesus) had “a thorn in his side,” that he prayed three times for Jesus to remove it, but it never was. And Paul went on to be one of the greatest evangelists of all time.
The Bible also says that “ALL things work together for good to those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose.” (emphasis mine). ALL things, even our bipolar disorder.
Without my BP, I don’t know that I would be the writer I am today – it was just a dream I had. But when I found www.bipolarcentral.com, BECAUSE of my bipolar disorder, I have seen my dream to fruition.
Why does God allow us to have bipolar disorder? I think many times it’s because “Anything that doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” Of course, that one isn’t from the Bible, but the Bible does say “When I am weak, he is strong,” and “His strength is made perfect in my weakness.”
I know that my BP has definitely made me a stronger person, for what I have had to go through and what I have had to fight.
I know that my BP has made me a better person as well, because I am much more sympathetic to others with a mental illness or supporting someone who has a mental illness. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) says that 1 in 4 people have a diagnosable mental illness, so that’s a lot of people to whom my heart goes out.
Hopefully, through my blog, the website and my newsletter articles, I’m helping some people if in no other way than to give them encouragement.
Since my best encouragement comes from the Bible, I wanted you to have that encouragement as well, and that’s why I wrote this post. There are many, many Christians that suffer from bipolar disorder, and in some cases, not much support from the church (some people have even had people try to case demons out of them). But the Bible is the truth. It is God’s written Word. I hope you have received some comfort from it.
Wishing you peace and stability,
Remember God loves you and so do I,
Michele
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Thank you! I would now go on this blog every day!
Have a nice day
Zoran
Thank you for this post. It is good to be reminded of these scriptures that can be both useful and comforting when dealing with any kind of health issue. As you know I deal with alot of them and sometimes forget that God is with me and will not forsake me ever. Thank you for the reminder. I needed it.
I have a mental illness, Bipolar I disorder, and my problem with your idea is that I am still a thinking person, and thus don’t believe in God and find the so-called Scriptures not so important since they were written for and by people very different from me and you. Put another way, put God and all his power in one hand, and a simple lithium tablet in the other, and the people who choose lithium will defeat the God people in their management of bipolar every time!
Dear Smithers –
I agree with your analogy; however, I am NOT advocating prayer and the Scriptures INSTEAD of medication, but IN ADDITION TO medication. I think anything that works to help someone become stabilized should be considered. It is their decision whether to put it into practice, according to whether it will work for them. Thank you for your post.
Bipolar disorder is a grave illness causing intense mood alterations ranging from feeling depressed to mania, can even contemplate to suicide. It is caused due to genetic predisposition, high-stress lifestyle, sleep deprivation, stress filled events in life etc. Symptoms are: feeling sad, lonely, helpless, and guilty etc. If anyone are suffering from it, should discuss with close ones, friends, so it will relieve one’s pain, should take help from others to prevent it.
q28xSW I want to say – thank you for this!
all good things
site best
you wrote this because you seem to follow your faith and it was ment for me/others to read. Thank you… I have dreams too…
While reading this, my eyes opened – I have finally understood several matters to me, and why I must seek help, and what will become of me. Thankyou, & God bless (:
Gabrielle,
I’m so glad that this post touched your heart and that your eyes were opened, as you said.
I do wish stability for you.
Blessings,
Michele
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Medication has its pros and cons and cons usually outweigh the pros…over time. I love how creative I am and I feel as though God has blessed me in so many ways….I feel like my biggest ailment in life (BP) is also God opening my eyes to the world in a different way…..I am around 30 years old and I am trying to become a better person of God…..and I can tell you that in my life I have accomplished alot and will do more…I also have been at the bottom and sometimes find myself feeling like that alot…..but God surrounded me with a great family……and I can honestly tell you with 100% certainty that prayer is the only way……everytime it has gotten bad…..and no one could help me…..who helped me? God, I cried and prayed and the only one there was him. I felt him and still do this past week had been awful for me…up and down….and my brother told me to read some passages and to go online and find others who seek God to heal this…..and here I am…and honestly…I feel alot better knowing I can give him all this anxiety…all this worry…all this sadness. Cause its too much for any one person. The best medication is GOD!
Olli,
If you want more inspiration from the Scriptures directly related to your bipolar disorder, I have written a book called Bipolar Disorder – One Day at a Time: A Devotional Journal for Those with Bipolar Disorder, and you can order it from my website (within a few weeks) at: http://www.brokenroseministries.com
I know it will help and encourage you.
Blessings,
Michele