The Real Battle is Mental
I’m back! Sorry it’s been a while since I wrote; I’ve been a little busy.
It’s been almost a year since we heard the words, “You have cancer.” Needless to say, those words have a way of changing your priorities, perspective, view of the world, relationships with others, and your life. As we prepared for this journey last October 2021, my father-in-law (he’s a local physician) told me these three things:
It will be a long hard year, but you’ll get through it.
They’re going to take you to the edge of death and see if they can bring you back.
Don’t worry about your body, we’ll take care of that. The challenge will be in your mind.
All three of those things have proven true. This is a year we will never forget, and in many cases cannot describe to others. It has moved slower than we could have imagined, and at times it’s felt like we’ve been on this road for years.
They did indeed try to kill me. 😊 Not intentionally, but it wasn’t until the third round of chemo that we discovered that my body would not metabolize one of the chemo medications. To put it simply, they were poisoning me to death and didn’t realize it until I ended up in the hospital. Once they understood what was happening, they eliminated that drug, and everything changed for the better.
Finally, the real battle was not physical, but mental. My mental health, attitude, and my outlook were much more important than anything. The physicians and nurses could take care of me physically. Katie, my family, and friends could support and care for me, but the mental battle was all mine. Fighting back the overwhelming darkness was all on me. Only I could decide how I would view things, respond, and see the immediate struggles. This is where the real battle took place on a daily basis. This was my fight. This is where I would win or lose. The mental battle would decide how I came out on the other side.
I have both family and friends who have been and continue to be affected by mental health. Their struggles and challenges are real. The daily impact of their mental health is felt by family, friends, co-workers, and sometimes even complete strangers. Walking through the darkness is not easy, but the battle doesn’t have to be fought alone.
Recently, I made the unfortunate choice to get on Facebook. As I scrolled through, I came across someone I know who professes to be a “Christian, Evangelical, pastor, historian, commentator, best-selling author, and founder of a political non-profit”. There was a time that he and I were friends, but that was many years ago. In his post, he referred to liberals as “mentally ill.” I must confess, I was shocked, saddened, hurt, and mad. As someone whose family has been rocked by mental illness, I was and still am deeply offended that he would choose to weaponize the term “mentally ill.” I was amazed that someone who called themselves a Christian would use the struggles, hurts, and pain of someone else to demonize and dehumanize his enemy.
Because I believe that Christian relationship calls me to respond a specific way, I messaged him privately. His response was anything but apologetic or remorseful. In fact, it was defiant and arrogant. His hubris was on full display. He told me that I didn’t know what I was talking about and that he was right; that my views were incorrect and that liberals really are “mentally ill.” To be honest, I’m not sure I expected a different response, but I felt that Matthew 5 called me to take my issue up with him personally. Writing him wasn’t worth my time, but writing these next words are well worth my time.
To those of you of you who struggle with mental health, to those of you who have family and friends who struggle with mental health, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Do not fight the battles alone. Do not quit. Do not give up. You are loved. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
By the way, I finished my last round of chemo and have surgery at the first of September. Thanks for your prayers and friendship.
The end is in sight!