From Humble Beginnings

"YOU ARE NOT AN ACCIDENT! Even before the universe was created, God had you in mind, and he planned you for his purposes. These purposes will extend far beyond the few years you will spend on earth. You were made to last forever!" Quote taken from Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life

The Purpose of This Blog

Let me preface this post by making sure everyone understands that I am not a counselor, therapist, psychologist, medical doctor or mental health provider. I am just an educator of over 30 years who has a loved one who suffers from mental illness. As such, if you are experiencing a real mental health crisis or know someone who is, please contact your local Crisis Team (the number differs from state to state), Call 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline), or call 911 for medical help.

The purpose of this blog is fourfold:

1. To share my personal struggles of family members living with mental illness.

2. To encourage others who may be encountering similar struggles by providing some sound biblical verses and scriptures to make the struggle a little easier.

3. To be an encouraging and listening ear for those who need an outlet to share their experiences and struggles.

4. To connect with others who are facing similar struggles and to identify and share information about the best available tools and resources

For the past few years, I have been dealing with family members, who are suffering from mental illness. Though they have not yet been diagnosed with any particular disorder/s, there are many clear indicators and actions that signal something is wrong. Some of the things are an extreme paranoia. This includes the belief that people are always looking at or watching them; they believe that the police and FBI are after them. They also frequently mention that planes are flying low over their house so that they can watch them, even though they live a few miles away from a major airport. They also will not touch garbage or anything that they deem to be dirty because they believe that this will in turn make them dirty, forever. They have a strong fascination with bleach, which then leads to a water issue. Next, there are the opening of the WINDOWS! Again, I am assuming that this is done to remove impurities from within their home. But, the biggest sign for me are the voices in their head! They talk to and argue with the voices all throughout the day,tingoften gets so infuriated by the things that the voices are speaking about that they respond with severe violent outbursts and anger. All of the above mentioned obsessions and paranoias will be discussed in greater detail in later posts.

Through this blog, I will share some of my personal stories/experiences, struggles, and prayers. I will include any resources and/or tools that I discover, and I encourage you to share any resources and tools that you may be familiar with as well, either in the chat box or by email. My hope is that as I learn daily how to not only deal with mental illness, but also cope with helping my loved ones, that I will help some of my readers deal with their struggles and provide ways to cope too. IT IS NOT EASY!!! Many times, I wonder why my family has been given these crosses to bear, but because of my STRONG FAITH IN GOD, I believe that all of this is for a greater purpose. A purpose much greater than I or my family members can see or even begin to comprehend. At the end of this all, we will have a testimony to share, but in the meantime, I will give God all of the glory and praises!

I pray that through my prayers and stories, which will be shared non-chronologically, that I will inspire and encourage you to keep the FAITH and hold on. Trouble only lasts for a while. Know that God loves you and none of what you are going through has taken him by surprise. You WILL come out of this VICTORIOUS, if you only BELIEVE!

With each posting, I will begin with and leave you with a bible verse or scripture to encourage you in your journey. Remember, the battle is not yours, it's the Lord's. So let's put on the FULL ARMOUR OF GOD, and take on this battle together.

Jeremiah 29: 10-12 NIV

10. This is what the Lord says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11. For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12. Then you will call me and pray to me and I will listen to you."