It is a reality that emotional and mental illness is a part of all of us as humans to one degree or another. In Jesus time it was completely misunderstood and thought to be caused by evil forces and sin. This we know is completely wrong. Today we have some understanding and medicine has provided us with some chemical solutions as well as environmental interventions which assist us. There is still a lot of factors that remain unknown and mysterious. It is however, therapeutic to recognize that we are all on a journey in which we are impacted at personals level by mental illness. None of us are immune! It is a part of life.
Once we understand this we can be compassionate and become part of the solution as we journey with others who are strongly adversely affected. Compassion and love as well as universal non-judgmental acceptance of the person forms a foundation for wholeness and healing. This was the key to Jesus outreach to the Gentile person in Luke who was healed.
We also must accept our own humanity and weakness. We learn from our mistakes and give ourselves boundaries and gain insight in community from others feedback and care. We are called to care for each other under the umbrella of the love of Jesus.
