Mental Illness is Very Real and Can Be Treated

Unfortunately in the African American, African, Asian, Hispanic cultures & religious community, mental illness and emotional health is frowned upon. Behavioral symptoms that are out of the ordinary are often ignored and taken as weaknesses or a passing phase. 

The brain is a major working organ of the body. Just like the heart or lungs, it too can become diseased. When people are expressing behavior/feelings/emotions that are not normal; not based in reality or rationality; or may be harmful to themselves or others, these are times that we not only react spiritually but we must also attend to their physical needs by finding proper medical treatment as soon as possible.

There is no problem or negative stigma in seeking help from a licensed mental health professional. I myself have dealt with severe depression since the age of 11 and have had to acknowledge that I needed help. Yes I have faith in God! I believe that healing comes from the Most High but as long as I am in this body made of flesh, I also know that I am also vulnerable to disease and illness.

You don't know what will trigger it either, for me it was my father's death. It might be a soldier coming home experiencing the effects of war. It may be the suburban mom overwhelmed by life. You don't know when, but you should be aware of the signs.

From psychiatry.org

"What are the Signs and Symptoms to Be Concerned About?"

If several of the following are occurring, a serious condition may be developing.

*Recent social withdrawal and loss of interest in others.
*An unusual drop in functioning, especially at school or work, such as quitting sports, failing in school, or difficulty  performing familiar tasks.
*Problems with concentration, memory, or logical thought and speech that are hard to explain.
*Heightened sensitivity to sights, sounds, smells or touch; avoidance of over-stimulating situations.
*Loss of initiative or desire to participate in any activity; apathy.
*A vague feeling of being disconnected from oneself or one’s surroundings; a sense of unreality.
*Unusual or exaggerated beliefs about personal powers to understand meanings or influence events; illogical or  “magical” thinking typical of childhood in an adult.
*Fear or suspiciousness of others or a strong nervous feeling.
*Uncharacteristic, peculiar behavior.
*Dramatic sleep and appetite changes or deterioration in personal hygiene.
*Rapid or dramatic shifts in feelings or “mood swings.”

"One or two of these symptoms can’t predict a mental illness. But a person experiencing several together that are causing serious problems in his or her ability to study, work, or relate to others should be seen by a mental health professional. Guidance counselors, teachers or classmates are often the first to notice symptoms."

So I ask everyone to be more aware, more sensitive, and more proactive toward our brothers & sisters who are dealing with mental issues. Let's become better equipped in our  families, communities, schools, churches, and culture at identifying those who may need our support. Let's work together in love and with a unified spirit so we can prevent further tragedy and heartbreak.

The Battle: I'm 30 Now

My birthday was August 6th. I'm officially 30.

And you know what...

I do feel older.... more mature.

I look at things in the world and the people around me a bit differently.

I appreciate my mother more. I treasure my grandmothers and aunt, the little time we have left together in this world.

I wonder how it feels to be in your 80s and 90s in this world today. It must be so drastically different from when they were 30. The choices they had to make. The careers they had to choose from... the children they have raised.

It makes me hurt for them.
Do they ever pine for their  youth? Or wish for someone to hear the thoughts in their minds that they can't convey into words due to the dementia and old age?

I look into their eyes and I just see the desire. The desire to respected, loved, appreciated, and needed like they once were at a point in their lives.

Just to feel important is to be important.

The gleam. I see it. It's still there. The desire. I see it. It's still there. The passion for life. I see it. Still there.

Yet when you're wrapped inside a feeble body and a mind that's going through a constant loop of memories that you are trying to hold on to for dear life... you get lost.

Forgetting. Trying to remember. That's the battle they fight everyday.

My battle?

My battle is just trying to focus. Life. Love. Family. God.
I understand, but keeping focus... that's my war.

A Thin Line Between Love and Hate: Christian on Christian Crime

A Thin Line Between Love and Hate: Christian on Christian Crime

1 John 2:3-10  (NIV)

Love and Hatred for Fellow Believers

3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.

4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.

5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him:

6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

7 Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard.

8 Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.

9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.

10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.

When we entertain rumors, gossip, suspicion, lies, stereotypes, and fears about others in our lives, we give room for the enemy to make a presence in the way we process the truth about others and ourselves.

We are never able or capable to see, hear, understand others and overall, fully love, because we are constantly judging and pre-judging each other through the filters of prejudice, bigotry, and favoritism.

We treat the people who will and who have loved us unconditionally like dirt. But the one who means to do us harm, we treat them to a five star dinner on gold platters!

Are you entertaining the enemy in your life? Have you made a room in your heart that the enemy has taken his residence? Are you using devices of evil to keep others in bondage or to get into higher positions? 

Proverbs 26:21-23(NIV)

21 As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire,

so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife.

22 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;

they go down to the inmost parts.

23 Like a coating of silver dross on earthenware

are fervent lips with an evil heart.

If you are gossiping, if you are spreading rumours, if you are lying, let me tell you... you are putting yourself on a red eye jet pass ticket to an eternity in hell!

James 3:5-8 (NIV)
5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.
6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind,
8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

We have to LOVE people through their mess! I don't mean coddle, pat their back, and tell them that it's right! I mean PRAY FOR THEM! We may not agree with how people live or the choices they may make, but it is not our mission to judge people or put them in man/woman made living hell prisons!


1 John 5:16-17 (NIV)

16 If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that.
17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

Sometimes many Christians think that by talking behind someone's back or belittling another person, you are helping that person to see that they are wrong. But this is not the way that God wants us to treat others, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ! We are to PRAY for our brothers and sisters!

James 3:9-10 (NIV)
⁹ With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.
¹⁰ Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.
Why are we choosing to the opposite of what the Word of God says to do? Why are we aiming to tear down each other with our words instead of building up and blessing each other with prayer???

People who say they love God should not have so much hate and evil in them.... they shouldn't.... but they do. These type of people are not lovers of God, because if they truly loved God, they would not do such things to other brothers and sisters in Christ.

1 John 2:15-17 (NIV)

On Not Loving the World

15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.
16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

.
Even though the Word of God tells us not to love this world and the sin of this world, not to do bad things... we still do. The fact is, because we all have done so and will do so at one time in our lives, means WE ALL NEED TO REPENT AND CHANGE from the ways that tear down and destroy our souls. If you believe in God through Christ Jesus, you should know and believe that through His power, we are able to choose a better Way, a more perfect Way, God's Way!

1 John 5:18-20  (NIV)
¹⁸ We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them.
¹⁹ We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
²⁰ We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

God can and will cleanse us from the impurity of our lips, hearts, and minds. God can and will keep us from sinning. God can and will follow through with His Word. God never fails. We as believers need to take His Word seriously and understand, that our actions have consequences.

Trayvon Martin had to Stand His Ground to Fight for His Life

Trayvon Martin used "Stand Your Ground" Properly; George Zimmerman uses it as an excuse for his negligence, disobedience to the law, and self righteous vigilante attitude. 

The medical report still does not give reason as to why Trayvon felt he needed to get physical with Zimmerman. IMO Trayvon was approached by Zimmerman in an intimidating manner, Trayvon saw the gun but didn't see a badge or a uniform, and immediately feared for his life. I really do believe Zimmerman tried to do some type of "citizen's arrest" and did not expect Trayvon to fight back because he had convinced himself that he was going to "save the day". Trayvon was fighting and beating that man to survive.

It's not "Stand Your Ground" if you are stalking the victim, it's not "Stand Your Ground" if you approach the victim and question them, it's not "Stand Your Ground" if the victim is defending themselves from you; It's not "Stand Your Ground" if you realize on your back on the ground that you made a decision to not follow the directions of the law and that you might die for doing so, that's not "Stand Your Ground". 

And many of you will use the excuse that the pictures being shown of Trayvon are from when he was 12 and 13. Even so, Trayvon was still a child. He was not astronomically muscular or 7 feet tall as some of you want to put him. (I won't even touch that right now.) Anyone who has ever feared for their life or the life of someone else knows that something inside you rises to do things that are normally above human measure.

Those of you who want to defend Zimmerman and say that he was right to shoot Trayvon. I want you to put your own child or a child that you love in Trayvon's shoes and think if they were in the same situation, from the things you taught them about strangers that approach them, what would you want them to do... Fight back or let the strange person lead them away.

Don't use the law as an excuse for your elitist attitude and "super hero" psychosis. Zimmerman put his self in a situation that he didn't have to be in if he had just listened to law enforcement. If "Stand Your Ground" means you don't have to listen to officials of the goverenment or follow laws in general, then yes, let the anarchy begin in Florida. If "Stand Your Ground" means that I can shoot and kill anyone just because I feel uncomfortable about their presence in my neighborhood,  then yes, let the lynchings begin, again, in Florida.
But if "Stand Your Ground" was meant to protect victims from perpetrators, then Trayvon had every right to use this law in his defense. Trayvon was being followed, he was approached, and he feared for his life. So he had to Stand His Ground.

ETYMOLOGY! Symbolism: Why Is It so Important

Even without the word "STOP",
 this red octogan lets you know this
signs meaning.

Let's Talk about Etymology! SYMBOLISM! Why is it so important...

Symbols can mean different things to different people. The purpose of a symbol is to convey a meaning. A great example of this is a "STOP" sign. Even without the word "STOP" on the sign, you recognize the meaning of this symbol by a Red Octogan.
 
Symbols come in different shapes and forms. All symbols invoke some type of reaction from the person who is witnessing the symbol at that time and based on the environment or culture they are in at that time, they will react accordingly. Numerals are symbols for numbers. If we are in a classroom environment and there are numerals written on a blackboard or a piece of paper, we are instantly assured that we are learning mathematics. Our mind then tells us to react accordingly to learn math. 
Words can be symbols. The way we arrange words into sentences or phrases can be symbols. The way we say the words: the tone and inflection in our voice, emphasis on certain vowels or consonants, alliteration, enunctiation, and pronunciation; these are all symbols as well. Words as symbols help us to communicate and understand each other. The word "NOW" let's us know that something needs to be done instantly. Based on who says the word or who writes the word and the way the word is said or written, the person recieving or hearing the word will react accordingly.

An example would be a mother instructing their child to take out the garbage.
At first the mother may be calm.
"Please take the garbage out. Thank You."
If the child does do it the first time, the mother may become more agitated and ask again but with more inflection in her voice.
"I thought I told you to take the garbage out. Please take it out." After a second time the child does not take the garbage out, Mom may become angry and use words that are more forceful to convey meaning.
"Take out the garbage NOW!" The child will then take out the garbage. By hearing mother's change in tone and the emphasis on the word "NOW", the child quickly understood the symbolism and meaning behind mother's words. Even when writing this short scenario, the reader can see the change in tone of mother by the use of punctuation or written symbolism to display emotion or emphasis in words.

The Rainbow is a symbol that means
varying things to different groups of
people based on background, religion, &
culture.

Symbols change over time and will change meanings based on the socialization, culture, religion, and background of the persons who acknowledge the symbol. For example, the rainbow. The rainbow in Christian culture was a symbol of the covenant that God made with man that He would not destroy the earth by flood waters again. The symbol of the rainbow in Buddhist culture signifies the highest state acheivable before Nirvana where the desire for indivdualism is extinguised. The rainbow can also be seen across the world on the backs of automobiles as the flag for LGBT unity and the gay pride movement.

Symbols can be born and then symbols can die. What one considers a holy symbol may be considered a pagan symbol to another. And at other times a symbol that was once considered holy can be considered pagan at another time. "Living" symbols can reveal great meaning in people's lives and unveil layers of internal thoughts, religious revelations, and relalities in people.  Symbols can also lose their meaning and power over time based on changes in individuals and the culture around them; these symbols then become "dead".
Paul Tillich, a Christian philosopher, said that a symbol always "points beyond itself" to something that is unquantifiable and mysterious. Tillich goes further to say that a symbol has "depth dimension". Symbols are complex and their meanings can evolve as the individual or culture evolves.

When symbols take on a deeper meaning to people, people can make those symbols into idols. Meaning people will give deity to an object (non-living or living) and worship it. People will substitute the symbol itsself for the meaning that it represents, instead of the internalizing the meaning of the symbol and evolving from that knowledge.

Symbols are very important in our world. Human beings find symbolism and meaning in everything in which we associate ourselves. We find our spiritual, physical, and mental meanings in the symbols we make important in our own individual lives and the lives of those who surround us daily. We must always remember that someone else may not have the same feelings or ideas about the symbols we deem to be important, and that it is okay. We are all different. We all come from different backgrounds and cultures. We all have different ideas about the Higher Power. But we must remember that we are all human and that even in our being different we all have the same desires and needs. Let us all have the same symbolism when we see each other... and that is to LOVE.