Mental Illness and God

He who comes to me, I will never drive away.  John 6:37b

     There can be different causes of mental illness.  Some forms of mental illness can be inherited.  Schizophrenia is an example of this.  Other forms of mental illness are a direct result of trauma or abuse.  Dissociative Identity Didorder (DID), what used to be called multiple personality, is a good example of a mental disorder caused by abuse.  Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a good example of a mental disorder caused by trauma.  Some traumas are horrible; but, they are not directed at us personally.  If my house burns down, I might be traumatized; but, unless arson was involved, it was nothing directed at me personally.  Abuse is personal.  Whatever type of abuse is involved, be it physical, sexual or emotional, it is directed at an individual.  When we are abused, we are rejected in an intimate way.  We often spend the rest of our lives recovering from the damage that was inflicted on us by abuse.

     Jesus reassures us that everyone who comes to him will be accepted.  No one is ever driven away.  This is reassuring to those of us who sometimes doubt ourselves.  God gives us the freedom to turn away from him; but, Jesus promises that he will never turn away from us.  

     When we are recovering from whatever problem life throws at us,  when we are dealing with rejection issues from our past, when we are reeling because we just got fired or our marriage failed or we lost our house or a loved one, we can tie ourselves to the rock that is Jesus.  He is the solid place, the firm foundation upon which we can attach ourselves so that he can make of us the strong, healthy, healed individuals that he wants us to grow into.

     Thank you, Jesus, that you will NEVER drive us away.