Anyone Hear Me?

I thank the handful of folks that read my first instalment of my "weekly" blogging. It has become "monthly" since I did not get an overwhelming response the first time around. And no, I am not offended.😢
Last week, Anne and I were able to travel to Alberta and spend time with our boys and their families. A granddaughter, 3 small dogs and 2 wonderful daughter-in-laws. While I was away, 7 residents passed away at the long term care where I am the Chaplain. Before anyone asks, no, none of the deaths were related to Covid. One of the deaths was Violet, who turned 100 in April. She was born 3 months before my mom and she was very proud of her 3 children and grandchildren. I will be officiating her funeral in a few weeks and at least one celebrity will be there: her son Tom Cochrane.

A line from one of his songs that you might have heard of: "Life is a highway". And that is what I want to talk about today. We are each on a journey called life and for some that is exciting with bumps along the way but for others it is perhaps a challenge every day we wake up. On some of my Facebook posts, I have referred to mental health issues among the policing community I work with. I have noticed that most of my Christian friends seldom "like" or comment on those posts. It's OK but it has caused me to wonder if we are still trapped in the belief that all problems are spiritual. Or is it simply a matter of denial because we ourselves know of or are personally battling what some might call "demons".

A song I heard for the first time a few years ago by the Christian group Casting Crowns, is called "Set Me Free". One of the lines in the song asks the question, "anyone out there hearing me?". This is not a feel good blog but it is a "there is hope" blog. One of the things I have been pushing for within our Ontario police chaplains association, is the idea that we chaplains need to be a safe resource for cops who are battling with mental health or addiction issues. The problem many of the Christian chaplains have, is that they struggle with the belief that God gave us mental health professionals. On the other side of the equation, is that police management often fails to recognize the spiritual component to each human being.

A friend of mine who is a devout born-again believer told me his story once as I did a ride along. After he felt comfortable with me, he shared that he had struggled with Post Traumatic Stress for a few years. He eventually went to his church leaders who prayed for him and tried to "cast out the demons". Their advice: stay away from mental health professionals. Fortunately he eventually ignored them and sought out professional help. The first psychologist was terrible but then a friend recommended someone they had used. Today he is doing very well in his policing career but some damage was done in those years where he had no effective resource to reach out to.

You might be asking if I have lost my faith and it is OK to think that if you are. As a believer and follower of Jesus, I know that my journey will continue after I die, because of Him. That is where my role as a Christian chaplain comes into play. We are there to walk along side hurting people as they are being restored, even as they come out of counselling. We are all spiritual beings whether we acknowledge it or not. God is involved in healing our mind but it isn't always through our pastor praying for us or casting out demons. In case you are wondering, I can give a long list of my own answered prayers so please do not hear me saying something I am not. I believe in miracles and I believe in the power of God. But I also know that God gave man the wisdom to help hurting people through mental health professionals. Many of whom are Christians!

So my hope is that many of you who perhaps shy away from getting help, will change your perspective and reach out to those who God has created to assist hurt and damaged people. If you are struggling today, maybe even with thoughts of suicide, reach out to someone you trust that has your best interest in mind. 

Chaplain Hillar Alkok




Comments

  1. DGGOctober 28, 2021 at 6:24 PM

    A good word Hillar. Unfortunately, the church is often not a safe place for those with Mental Health issues.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HillarOctober 28, 2021 at 6:33 PM

      One of the main reasons for this short blog! Thanks.

      Delete

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