‘For most of the book of Job it is long, boring and bewildering, it goes round in circles, and nothing seems to get resolved … It is a helpful insight into the experience of those who suffer,’ said Matthew Mason (see photo), Tutor in Ethics at the Pastors’ Academy, to those attending the most recent Anglican Futures Online Ideas Exchange, ‘Caring For Those Experiencing Depression and Anxiety’, writes Susie Leafe.
We learned more of the loneliness of those who experience mental health difficulties and the loneliness and helplessness of those who care for them. We recognised that none of us can ever be ‘enough’ and considered the benefit of a small group of friends walking together with the individual sufferer. We were pointed to God’s grace as we thought about the need for us all to be more vulnerable if we are to provide more accessible, safer places for those currently struggling with their mental health.
I was particularly helped by another comment Matthew made: ‘Don’t demand [that] people get better. We will be better in heaven. By God’s grace there may be improvements here and there in the here and now but some of us may live with these experiences until God calls us to glory.’
