For her sermon from last Sunday on Psalm 88, Angelika Dawson elaborated upon three gifts that the dark lament provides for us “when we are seeking to support someone who is living with mental illness and … when we are in the midst of living with mental illness”:
- A picture of what deep, dark despair looks like
- A voice in the darkness, a way to express how we’re feeling when other words fail us
- A gift of “acknowledgement, permission, and recognition”: acknowledging the legitimacy of the often difficult feelings that go with mental illness, giving one permission to feel them, and recognizing that the cries of despair, anguish, and anger to God are actually signs of a deep faith.
Thanks very much to Angelika for her thoughtful message kicking off Mental Health Week. The message, along with Adriel Brandt’s heart-wrenching reading of Psalm 88, should be up on our audio sermons page to listen to again by this Friday, so stay tuned! In the meantime, click here for more resources and information about Mental Health Week. In the spirit of Jesus, may we continue to be present with others in their darkness, as friends and as lights.