This is what has been on my heart…it might not all be 100% but its stuff on my heart and things that I believe God is working on me about.

I have one main accountability partner and friend. We drifted a bit apart in recent years but we still call and pray together. he consistently points me to Jesus when I get all frazzled and out of control. I don’t feel he has an agenda or pushes his stands on things on me. I feel everyone pushes what they believe on me where I am secure in what I believe but i don’t force it on people but I will give my reasons and try to get people to see my side. however i feel so many Christians all have this single thing that is the answer or a specialty whether it’s spiritual warfare or fasting or whatever and they have the answer to what you need when you have no clue what is the answer and you are wanting to hear from God but they pressure you to accept their opinions and if they don’t they stop wanting to help. They seem to want the power that comes over being above you spiritually or emotionally or whatever. Instead I think we are all dysfunctional to a degree and it’s not one is above the other.

I recently had reached out to a Pastor friend who was mostly a FB friend but he would attend our church meetings and some of his church family has family that goes to our church. He saw some major mood swings on my FB page and reached out to me to counsel.

He knows some folks who struggle with bipolar and that is what he thought I had. I am not 100% closed to a mental diagnosis but I am a pharmacist and have seen what happens when people get locked into a diagnosis and i have seen them bounced from med to med for years and I have never seen anyone do that well on a life time of meds.

my theory for mental health issues is two fold — and I will get into part of it here and the rest at the end — and you don’t have to agree — i am still seeking wisdom on this — but I believe

That the bible has the answer for everything.  Jesus calmed the storms — even the storms in our hearts.  Instead there is a antipsychotic for that you can get with a prescription and a $10 copay. Jesus brings peace – instead there is Valium, Xanax, Klonopin, Buspar, and Ativan. Jesus brings Joy — instead there is Prozac, Celexa, Lexapro, Wellbutrin, and Paxil.

Jesus brings long suffering — instead there are narcotics and mind numbing hypnotics. Jesus brings love in a marriage — instead there is Viagra. Jesus brings gentleness — instead there are mood stabilizers and hormone therapy. Jesus brings goodness – Jesus brings faith — Jesus brings temperance . Instead there are meds for smoking cessation like Chantix and alcohol addiction and drug addiction.

Further, the bible says feelings are the by product of faith. Feelings come after – they come second.

For me to focus on a feeling is counter-intuitive and Jesus says put Him first, others second, and ourselves last.

In the 3rd world nations that have a servant others-first mindset, they are not riddled with depression and anxiety and mood issues. They are focused on others and they are thankful for a meal and they are not plagued by how they will pay the bills.

I don’t understand it, but we seem stuck on our feelings instead of focusing on other people perhaps — I know when i am busy at work or on a project I am happy but when the dust settles I start focusing on myself and issues and I get miserable.

So I don’t know what is right- but I didn’t like the pressure he put on me to accept his diagnosis and basically it turned into a, “well,i can’t risk you harming yourself so if you won’t see a doctor for your moods, we can’t counsel.”

I find that today the church doesn’t really want anything complicated and that takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears. When I was lost I called Crisis Services to say I was struggling — they did nothing for you. They had no hope.

Yet today, the church today that says to the world “we have the answers” will tell a Christian that has too many issues that they should call crisis services. What?

Do we believe God can calm the storms, even in our heart or not?

My theory on mental health is this — I see my kids and other kids act up and they have mood swings if they don’t get their way. They get down at the drop of a hat but get up just as fast. If these were adults you would diagnosis them with bipolar mood swings.

However, I think these are immature emotional responses to pressures. My kids do something and I flip out — it might be a mental issue or it might be that I have to let God work in that area and I must submit to him and see my need and cling to him to lead me through this. My immature moods and feelings and behavior at times is from not being able to handle situations and rejections and stress head on like a man. The more I face things like a MAN the less I respond with the mental health issues that others say I need meds for.