Clothe Yourself in Kindness
The angel of the LORD came back a
second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too
much for you.” – 1 Kings 19:7
Kate Spade died yesterday of an apparent suicide. It
was the lead story on the news. Everyone – meaning those acquaintances who
thought they knew her – seem shocked. How could this vibrant, colorful and
talented woman be in such despair that she would take her own life?
Those closest to her say they saw the signs. Did they
push for her to get medical help? Did she refuse? What were the circumstances
that led her to this? We want to know all the juicy details. It is none of our
business. None of that will change what happened or in any way comfort her
family and close friends.
God tells us that if give bad things to Him, He will
turn them to good. Will we do that in this situation? Will we look around us
and see beyond the veneer of the people closest to us? Will we extend kindness
and compassion to everyone? Will we stop boxing people in and realize that
everyone hurts and cries and feels sad sometimes?
We have become such a fake people. It’s all about
appearances. We really don’t want to know the bad stuff, unless it’s juicy
enough for a gossip fest. We don’t want to be bothered with hurting people. We’ve
got our own issues. We just want people to be who we expect them to be and save
the bad feelings for some other time. So we end up with struggling people who keep
it all inside.
The National Center for Health Statistics says that from
1999 through 2014, the age-adjusted suicide rate in the United States increased
24 percent, from 10.5 to 13.0 per 100,000 population, with the pace of increase
greater after 2006.
The National Institute of Mental Health reports that in
2016 an estimated 16.2 million adults in the United States had at least one
major depressive episode. This number represented 6.7 percent of all U.S.
Adults. And, I might add, those were only the depressive episodes that were
reported.
And we wonder why violence is on the rise. All that
unhappiness has to go somewhere. If it doesn’t have an acceptable outlet, such
as therapy, it will find another way to express itself. Is it okay? Absolutely
not! But what are we going to do about it?
There is no quick fix when it comes to depression,
suicide, bi-polar disorder and any number of other mental illnesses. That’s
what they are: Illnesses. Just because you can’t see them, doesn’t mean they
aren’t real. They are debilitating. They can attack the strongest people, those
who seemingly have everything anyone could want.
Despite what you may hear or read, there aren’t any
quick fixes. Depression can come from biology. Did you know that? Serotonin levels,
for example. Does exercise help? Yes. Does eating healthy help? Yes. Will
spending time with God help? Yes. Will any of those things bring immediate
relief? No. Unless, of course, God chooses to provide a miracle.
There’s a Facebook thing that gets passed around
periodically. It reminds us that we don’t know what another person is going
through so just be kind to everyone. It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Why,
then, is it so hard?
People are hurting out there folks. Love them. Just
love them. Stop judging and pointing fingers and pronouncing curses on them
because you don’t agree with their lifestyles or their political views or
whatever it is you have a problem with. Just love them. That’s what Jesus would
do. It’s what He told us to do. So just do it.
