Fight

Yesterday, we started looking at the story of the demoniac, the man Jesus encountered in a cemetery who was possessed by (as it turns out, "many") demons. 

And we started by giving this man the credit that he's due. He is one tough dude. 

Today, I want to ask you: 

Are you tougher than you get credit for? 

This guy lived with social ostracization, with judgment, with isolation, with the townspeople being afraid of this thing that afflicted him. He lived with demons that literally threw pigs off a cliff the moment they got the chance. He lived with the stigma and the fight. 

How about you? 

As far as we have come in our culture in addressing mental health, the truth is that we're still a long way from where we ought to be. There are many reasons for this, but those aren't important right now. They're not important because for every reason we can pinpoint to explain how it is that we're so far from where we should be, there's is someone wasting away in a cemetery, chains hanging off their limbs, beating themselves up for the life they're living. A life they didn't choose, but here we are anyway. (Did you know that in some versions of the story, the demoniac is literally known to be hitting himself, beating himself, scarring himself in that cemetery?) 

And listen, I get it - it can be exhausting to be compassionate. It seems like everybody is dealing with something, which feels like such a start contrast to the world we thought we knew growing up (those of us of a certain age), when mental illness and inner demons seemed to be uncommon problems. 

Oh, the stigma of the 80s and 90s! 

But that's kind of exactly the point: everybody is dealing with something. 

So let's start giving folks the credit they're due for making it this far. 

For making it through the isolation of fighting their battles alone. 

For making it through the ostracization of not having friends or even family to count on. 

For making it through the memories of a life that didn't used to be like this. 

For making it through the heartache of being cut off from the life they want to live. 

For making it through the stigma of being that person - you know, the one whose demons don't do such a good job of hiding. 

For living with the chains. 

For living with the screams.

For living naked and exposed, unable to hide what you're dealing with.  

For living with the feeling that they're completely out of control, but there's nothing they can do about it. 

...except keep willing themselves to live one more day.

And, oh yeah, for keepin' on keepin' on when they're fighting something that would have driven even the pigs off a cliff by now. 

Good on them. They're doing it. 

Can I say it? Good on you. You're doing it. 

Give yourself credit for that. 

Give the folks around you credit for that. 

Let's start there. 

But...don't stop there.