God Shall Wipe Away All Tears
God Shall Wipe Away All Tears
BY KATHY PENROD
There is a pandemic in our world that has nothing to do with COVID. It silently attacks the victim leaving them surrounded by storm clouds and darkness. It warps reality and leaves emotions raw. Mental illness is a worldwide issue and it is one that is not talked about enough. I am talking about the kind of mental illness that sticks around for weeks, months or even years. This isn’t just feeling bad or having an off day. This is the kind of illness that impacts your functioning and every aspect of your life.
In the gospel of Jesus Christ, we believe in the great plan of happiness. We testify that Jesus can carry our burdens and bring us out of darkness. We know that following the commandments bring us eternal joy. Christ brings joy. We believe it. We teach it. We know it.
So, when one believes all this AND suffers from a crushing mental illness, it can leave a believer feeling that they are failing in their faith. It is easy for that person to believe they are less of a saint because they have not believed their way out of the darkness that looms over them.
There is no mold, imaginary or otherwise, we must all fit into. However, so many feel like outcasts because they believe a true saint, one that believes in the plan of happiness, shouldn’t be weighed down by mental illness.
A friend once told me, “Depression is a liar.” I believe that is true for all mental illness. It lies to us. Telling us we are not worthy of love. Telling us we don’t believe enough. Telling us we are not needed.
The truth that mental illness is hiding, is that YOU are an eternal child of a Heavenly Father who loves YOU infinitely. The truth is that Jesus Christ did suffer for YOU and through His grace, YOU can overcome. The truth is that YOU are worth saving. The truth is that YOU are needed. Jesus Christ is all-loving and compassionate. He would never want anyone to believe that they are less than worthy of His love because they may be experiencing a mental illness. And yet, that is exactly what some believe because they suffer.
Everyone has a burden to carry in this life. Everyone has challenges they face. For some it is diabetes; for some, paraplegia. For others it is mental illness. It is our job to practice our faith in Jesus Christ while managing our infirmities.
So, what do we do if we are burdened with a weight too heavy for us to bear? What do we do if our earnest prayers do not release us from that burden?
We must keep going.
We must rely on His grace even when we may not feel as though we can connect to it. We must keep trusting in the words of those who love us, most importantly our Savior. We must keep pressing forward, day by day, with the faith that one day,
“…God shall wipe away all tears from [our] eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”( Revelation 21:4, emphasis added)
That is the truth. One day we will have our tears wiped away. One day we will be freed from the suffocating illness we face. One day, we will be perfected. It is my belief that one day we will look back on our life and realize that His grace did, in fact, carry us through the storm of mental illness.
