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This book looks pretty great and is available free to anyone that asks in September as it is depression awareness month (better hurry!). Useful to people with depression and those that love and care for them.
J.S. Park is a pastor, hospital chaplain, blogger, author, former atheist, recovered inappropriate content addict, sixth degree black belt, and suicide survivor.
When I asked Park how he handles this type of “advice,” he told me, “I’m learning that bad advice like ‘pray more’ or ‘be positive’ is more of a coping mechanism for those who don’t know what to say, or want to say something valuable rather than looking helpless, or are too scared to enter the dark with a person who has a mental illness. I think most Christians get caught up by this idea that they need to look like they have an answer for everything or their faith is at stake. The stronghold of ‘certainty’ is such a big deal in Christian-world, because there’s this dynamic with looking like a ‘good Christian’ when you know more stuff. Saying “I don’t know what to say” is like a death sentence to so many Christians, but really, I’d be relieved if more Christians just admitted “I don’t know how to do this” and were open to learning. For a person with depression, there’s this almost two-prong battle of handling the dark inside and then handling other peoples’ responses and perceptions. That gets really old, really fast. But as a Christian myself, I want to have grace for those who lack grace. Of course, there are some Christians who will never get it and never see depression as a legitimate condition, but for others, I’m slower to build a conversation. It’s hard to explain myself a thousand times over and over, but humility has to go both ways. I need to be humble about those who don’t seem to get it, just as I’m hoping they’re humble about not getting it.”
How Hard It Really Is – J.S. Park (you can ask for the free version here)
Book Review: “How Hard It Really Is: A Short, Honest Book About Depression” By J.S. Park – A Front Row View (a review of the book)
J.S. Park is a pastor, hospital chaplain, blogger, author, former atheist, recovered inappropriate content addict, sixth degree black belt, and suicide survivor.
When I asked Park how he handles this type of “advice,” he told me, “I’m learning that bad advice like ‘pray more’ or ‘be positive’ is more of a coping mechanism for those who don’t know what to say, or want to say something valuable rather than looking helpless, or are too scared to enter the dark with a person who has a mental illness. I think most Christians get caught up by this idea that they need to look like they have an answer for everything or their faith is at stake. The stronghold of ‘certainty’ is such a big deal in Christian-world, because there’s this dynamic with looking like a ‘good Christian’ when you know more stuff. Saying “I don’t know what to say” is like a death sentence to so many Christians, but really, I’d be relieved if more Christians just admitted “I don’t know how to do this” and were open to learning. For a person with depression, there’s this almost two-prong battle of handling the dark inside and then handling other peoples’ responses and perceptions. That gets really old, really fast. But as a Christian myself, I want to have grace for those who lack grace. Of course, there are some Christians who will never get it and never see depression as a legitimate condition, but for others, I’m slower to build a conversation. It’s hard to explain myself a thousand times over and over, but humility has to go both ways. I need to be humble about those who don’t seem to get it, just as I’m hoping they’re humble about not getting it.”
How Hard It Really Is – J.S. Park (you can ask for the free version here)
Book Review: “How Hard It Really Is: A Short, Honest Book About Depression” By J.S. Park – A Front Row View (a review of the book)
