This month's blog is by guest writer, Jesslyn McCutcheon. In this month's blog, she writes about how to let go of the pain when living with mental illness.
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, and who heals all your diseases," Psalm 103:2-3 ESV
Pain has a way of twisting you up inside. Pain will make you do things that you didn’t think you were capable of. Pain brings anger that seems like it will never stop knocking at your door. You live in fear of the thoughts that plague your mind and will not go away.
You ask the question, “Where were you when I needed you the most?” The truth is, you are not capable of seeing because our eyes are not fully opened. You can’t handle this type of pain all on your own.
We were not made to carry this weight. This level of pain only God can continue to give you a reason to keep going on. There is no easy answer that is going to take the pain away. If left unresolved, you can even forget why and what you were created for.
The legacy of brokenness started from the very beginning with Adam and Eve disobeying God in the Garden of Eden. Since then, humanity has lived in a place of brokenness. The world today sees brokenness around every corner; we see lives fractured and in desperate need of reconstruction. Separation is broken between you and the Father because of the sting of pain.
Hope is given to us in 1 Corinthians 15:45 (NIV) when Paul writes, “So it is written: ‘The first man Adam became a living being’; the last Adam, a life-giving Spirit.” The last Adam is the Son of God, Jesus. This is why He was sent: to save us from our sins and to free us from this pain and all this suffering.
“So it is written: ‘The first man Adam became a living being’; the last Adam, a life-giving Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 15:45 NIV
It took me years to get through the deep-seated pain of having to accept that I have to live with a brain-based illness. It didn’t seem fair, and life didn’t seem to make sense. You don’t understand the why in all of it. “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord (Isaiah 55:8 NIV).
My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord." Isaiah 55:8 NIV
Where Is God in Our Pain?
There are some questions we will never know the answers to. Why? Because we cannot see the whole picture. We are not God, and we don’t always know what is good and what is bad. We don’t have that ability to judge. We don’t know what a day may bring, but we do know God is good. Comfort is found in knowing we don’t have to have all the answers and knowing that God’s ways are just.
I pushed God away many times in the pain. I just didn’t understand. I wasn’t asking the right questions. We need to be asking questions. We need to be deepening our faith through the pain. He wants a relationship with you. True knowledge of God is what is found within your heart and soul.
Knowing God is not the same as studying theology. When you know God, nothing compares to that feeling of being in God’s presence. It is a feeling of incredible awe and joy.
Sometimes, living with a mental illness, you feel like your back is pushed up against a wall. You don’t feel understood or that anyone is going to understand.
You keep a lot to yourself and deal with the pain of suffering in silence. We long for people to want to understand and accept that the human being is both physical and mental. We long to not be cast aside and to not feel the rejection by others that constantly flows like a river. We yearn to not feel all alone.
Here is the best news: You are never alone.
"We yearn to not feel all alone. Here is the best news: You are never alone." ~Jesslyn McCutcheon
"God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at the break of day." Psalms 46:5 NIV
Letting Go of Pain
There are millions of people who live with a mental illness, and there are people who want to help you and want to see you get your life back. Mountains can move, chains can be broken. Hope is never lost because there are resources, good mental health professionals, and people who do understand. Most importantly, there is still an empty grave! You have the authority to declare truth in your life.
Are you ready to follow in His footsteps even through all the pain? The world and the flesh will never provide you with the security that only God can provide. Your pain does have a cure, and His name is Jesus.
Jesslyn McCutcheon is a member of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) NW Piedmont and the AACC (American Association of Christian Counseling). Since being diagnosed with bipolar 1 disorder 24 years ago, she actively advocates and speaks regarding mental illness to normalize and destigmatize conversations around mental health. Her ministry, Fighting Goliath for Mental Illness helps and empowers women who live with bipolar disorder manage their symptoms more effectively through resources, lived, experience and incorporating God’s word in order to live a more fulfilling life.
Her book Fighting Goliath for Mental Illness-Slaying The Giant of Bipolar Disorder is coming March 2025! Here is what the book is about:
What is the biggest giant in your life? After being diagnosed with an acute mental illness at the age of 26, these were unwanted circumstances that I didn’t want any part of. There was no amount of wishing it away. It took years before the proper diagnosis of bipolar 1 disorder was even given. Each year millions of people look to the internet for answers to their deepest struggles and pain.
People are hurting and people are searching for hope. Only a small circle of friends knew the hell my family and I were living in. We didn’t know how to navigate these circumstances and live with the cards that were dealt. What do you do when Satan is attacking you and your family? What do you do when there is nothing left and you don’t want to go on living anymore? What do you do when God is silent? Your spiritual growth and majority will depend on how you respond each and every time.
Living with a serious mental illness is not a “quick fix” or just “snap out of it” solution and never will be. It is not a linear process. You will be riding the “Mental Health Monster” roller coaster when you read this book. From many highs to many lows the journey of living with bipolar disorder will never be a dull moment. How you learn to take care of yourself in the process will determine your steps from one day to the next.
The hard truth is no one can fix you but yourself. The reader will find that when you face the biggest giant of your life head own, Jericho walls can come down. You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. You just have to believe it.
Fighting Goliath Support Group:
My new book, From Guilt to Grace: Hope and Healing for Christian Moms of Addicted Children, is now available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Check out this link for your complimentary gifts with purchase.
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