Just subscribed to Sarah ♡ thank you for sharing her post on this topic. As someone with Complex PTSD, and a believer in Jesus, I really appreciate Sarah's post. My mind went immediately to a scene from The Chosen in Season 1, where Mary, whose mind and soul is in a state of torture: "Mary", Jesus said. It's a powerful scene. He called her by her name. LOVE came for her. Love Himself, never stops coming for us. I forget this often. He is a constant presence. The enemy of my soul IS the father of lies, the mother-of-all deceivers, the 'trixter'. But ♡JESUS ♡. LOVE in perfection, in which there is no fear; it will not, it cannot let me go. This, this! is what I constantly, and consistently need reminding of. Re-member me, re-mind me ♡ Lord Jesus ♡
dearest sarah, i have not yet finished reading your book but you are the one who let me know that this is a 'thing' and it's not just me. i too have been assaulted since childhood with perverse, graphic and other vile, unwanted images in my mind. i never knew this was something anyone else experienced and i certainly never spoke of it. i didn't even know how to. i also have other intrusive thoughts, like run-on sentences in my brain of words and phrases that range from non-sensical to bizarre to utterly distressing. like background chatter at a cafe that just won't stop. thank you for your bravery and vulnerable candor.
Since I read your recent Instagram post about the person who said OCD wasn't real I have been at once outraged, sad, and horrified that anyone would dare to say that OCD or any other mental illness isn't "real". How dare he?? He is not a medical doctor, but is speaking like he has the authority of one, and there may be people out there who actually believe him! That's the part that makes me very sad. But mostly I'm simply angry that anyone in his position would have the audacity to make such an outrageous statement. Would he also claim that cancer, or tuberculosis, or spina bifida isn't real either? Would he like to walk in the body of someone who has those diseases? He should walk in my mind for a day and see how he likes it!!! Sarah, you are showing great restraint and Christian love and forgiveness for not publicly scolding him and taking him to task. You are, as always, lovely and amazing!
“Recently, a Christian leader asserted that OCD, ADHD, and PTSD do not exist.”
It’s sad that these things need saying, and sadder that it’s because there are misunderstandings coming out of churches. I say this both as a person of faith and as a practicing psychologist. OCD can be complex relative to (for example) depression and anxiety. There are, of course, important overlaps between the spiritual and the psychological or medical, yet overlap does not mean one subsumes the other. God heals, but we don’t stop getting root canals, heart surgery or a cast for a broken arm; yet we don’t stop praying for our health, either, just because we have dentists and doctors.
Psychotherapies, like CBT, can help not because they’re a replacement for spiritual faith, but because the people who do it have a keen eye for the underlying emotional and cognitive processes that can keep a person stuck. At the same time, when done with care and compassion, therapy is also a spiritual act, even if not a word of theology is spoken.
Thank you for sharing! God has certainly brought some good out of Macarthur’s ridiculous remarks-I’ve read so many beautiful witnesses, like yours, of people suffering from OCD (which I also have) and it’s been a needed reminder that it is a cross I am not alone in bearing. It’s been so encouraging
Sarah, your openness about these struggles is truly a breath of fresh air. I have several children with varying diagnoses, from anxiety to bipolar disorder. Each of them, adopted as babies, have faced judgement because of their illness. The “pray harder” and “cast out that demon of anxiety/depression” camp drove us out of a charismatic evangelical church and cast us safely into the arms of an Anglican congregation that has been balm to our weary souls. Your mother was a voice of wisdom to me when I was a young mom, and now her daughter is speaking truth and shining its light in the darkness. What a gift.
I suffered for years from depression so deep and dark I couldn't see light anywhere. No one ever understood it least of all pastors. Generational curse, lack of faith, demon possession, even accusation of listening to the wrong pastors or reading the wrong translation of the Bible...Lordy, I heard it all. It carved a chasm between myself and God for years, not because I didn't believe enough but because I was convinced I was at fault somehow, sinful and wrong. Finally I was healed through a series of awful horrible, wonderful occurrences and came to Christ fully despite being told I wasn't worthy by sundry souls.
I pray for those pastors who lack understanding and who are arrogant enough to diagnose without knowing cause or the struggles that those with mental disorders go through.
Now on the other side of my depression years, I am grateful for the healing that took place but recognize that it is not always so for others. My daughter has Bi-polar disorder, my daughter in law suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder and to see their struggles as they go through therapy and medication therapies trying to find something resembling peace brings me to tears often.
Thank you for being the voice in your realm of ministry. Thank you for letting others know they are NOT the cause of their illness. Thank you for speaking truth.
Point #4 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️. Thank you for sharing this. I have recently had to admit some mental health issues (that I was really trying not to let surface or have to tell anyone about, let alone seek professional help for), so I appreciate this post for so many reasons.
Walking this road with you. Your ocd story mirrors so much of my own. I haven’t written a book on my story yet, but in 2005 I recorded a series of songs I wrote detailing my journey with OCD and God’s intimate presence through uncharted territory. In my experience, I chased desperately after my Lord through this wilderness of mental illness, and found that it was actually Him chasing me with His love. Knowing I am held by Him, I can face each day. ❤️
Have a blessed and most wondrous vacation in Ireland! Happy 40th birthday! Keep chasing the Beauty of the Lord! His delight and His smile is more beautiful than anything. Blessings Sarah!
Intrusive thoughts are the WORST. Mine have gotten less painful to live through as I've learned not to let them lead to obsession, but yeah...it's definitely real.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I have been told by a professional that I have "OCD tendencies" especially when I am stressed, and I could relate to your reflection. I remember when I was first told this; it was interesting and somewhat freeing to realize that I was not just conjuring up these disturbing thoughts on my own, and it wasn't related to my spiritual life. OCD truly feels like a mind assault fire hydrant that will not shut off.
Thankfully, CB therapy, supportive community, and lots of painful practice have helped me become soooooo much healthier. I pray for you a continued journey toward peace.
Sarah since I am no longer on social media, I really appreciate you reprinting this here for your subscribers. I'll be forwarding it to a friend. Thank you!
Sarah, I'm grateful for this, and was also very moved by your Plough article when it first came out. Thank you for your strong and charitable words on all of this.
How I wish I'd had your voice 5 years ago as a child of mine came to me with similar visions and I had no idea who to turn to or if it was somehow my fault as a bad parent. Having been influenced by this same leader for many years, all it caused in us was shame and fear when we should have been gentle, loving, patient and understanding. Thank you for telling your story
So lovely to hear you reading Sarah and for sharing your story X
Just subscribed to Sarah ♡ thank you for sharing her post on this topic. As someone with Complex PTSD, and a believer in Jesus, I really appreciate Sarah's post. My mind went immediately to a scene from The Chosen in Season 1, where Mary, whose mind and soul is in a state of torture: "Mary", Jesus said. It's a powerful scene. He called her by her name. LOVE came for her. Love Himself, never stops coming for us. I forget this often. He is a constant presence. The enemy of my soul IS the father of lies, the mother-of-all deceivers, the 'trixter'. But ♡JESUS ♡. LOVE in perfection, in which there is no fear; it will not, it cannot let me go. This, this! is what I constantly, and consistently need reminding of. Re-member me, re-mind me ♡ Lord Jesus ♡
I think I cry every episode of that show. Beautiful. You’ll adore Sarah. If you haven’t read her book This Beautiful Truth I highly recommend it x
dearest sarah, i have not yet finished reading your book but you are the one who let me know that this is a 'thing' and it's not just me. i too have been assaulted since childhood with perverse, graphic and other vile, unwanted images in my mind. i never knew this was something anyone else experienced and i certainly never spoke of it. i didn't even know how to. i also have other intrusive thoughts, like run-on sentences in my brain of words and phrases that range from non-sensical to bizarre to utterly distressing. like background chatter at a cafe that just won't stop. thank you for your bravery and vulnerable candor.
Since I read your recent Instagram post about the person who said OCD wasn't real I have been at once outraged, sad, and horrified that anyone would dare to say that OCD or any other mental illness isn't "real". How dare he?? He is not a medical doctor, but is speaking like he has the authority of one, and there may be people out there who actually believe him! That's the part that makes me very sad. But mostly I'm simply angry that anyone in his position would have the audacity to make such an outrageous statement. Would he also claim that cancer, or tuberculosis, or spina bifida isn't real either? Would he like to walk in the body of someone who has those diseases? He should walk in my mind for a day and see how he likes it!!! Sarah, you are showing great restraint and Christian love and forgiveness for not publicly scolding him and taking him to task. You are, as always, lovely and amazing!
I hope everyone who needs to will see this, Sarah! May it be so.
Your book was incredibly beautiful and I always recommend it (alongside Bryant’s “A Quiet Mind to Suffer With”)
“Recently, a Christian leader asserted that OCD, ADHD, and PTSD do not exist.”
It’s sad that these things need saying, and sadder that it’s because there are misunderstandings coming out of churches. I say this both as a person of faith and as a practicing psychologist. OCD can be complex relative to (for example) depression and anxiety. There are, of course, important overlaps between the spiritual and the psychological or medical, yet overlap does not mean one subsumes the other. God heals, but we don’t stop getting root canals, heart surgery or a cast for a broken arm; yet we don’t stop praying for our health, either, just because we have dentists and doctors.
Psychotherapies, like CBT, can help not because they’re a replacement for spiritual faith, but because the people who do it have a keen eye for the underlying emotional and cognitive processes that can keep a person stuck. At the same time, when done with care and compassion, therapy is also a spiritual act, even if not a word of theology is spoken.
Thank you for sharing! God has certainly brought some good out of Macarthur’s ridiculous remarks-I’ve read so many beautiful witnesses, like yours, of people suffering from OCD (which I also have) and it’s been a needed reminder that it is a cross I am not alone in bearing. It’s been so encouraging
Sarah, your openness about these struggles is truly a breath of fresh air. I have several children with varying diagnoses, from anxiety to bipolar disorder. Each of them, adopted as babies, have faced judgement because of their illness. The “pray harder” and “cast out that demon of anxiety/depression” camp drove us out of a charismatic evangelical church and cast us safely into the arms of an Anglican congregation that has been balm to our weary souls. Your mother was a voice of wisdom to me when I was a young mom, and now her daughter is speaking truth and shining its light in the darkness. What a gift.
I suffered for years from depression so deep and dark I couldn't see light anywhere. No one ever understood it least of all pastors. Generational curse, lack of faith, demon possession, even accusation of listening to the wrong pastors or reading the wrong translation of the Bible...Lordy, I heard it all. It carved a chasm between myself and God for years, not because I didn't believe enough but because I was convinced I was at fault somehow, sinful and wrong. Finally I was healed through a series of awful horrible, wonderful occurrences and came to Christ fully despite being told I wasn't worthy by sundry souls.
I pray for those pastors who lack understanding and who are arrogant enough to diagnose without knowing cause or the struggles that those with mental disorders go through.
Now on the other side of my depression years, I am grateful for the healing that took place but recognize that it is not always so for others. My daughter has Bi-polar disorder, my daughter in law suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder and to see their struggles as they go through therapy and medication therapies trying to find something resembling peace brings me to tears often.
Thank you for being the voice in your realm of ministry. Thank you for letting others know they are NOT the cause of their illness. Thank you for speaking truth.
Point #4 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️. Thank you for sharing this. I have recently had to admit some mental health issues (that I was really trying not to let surface or have to tell anyone about, let alone seek professional help for), so I appreciate this post for so many reasons.
Walking this road with you. Your ocd story mirrors so much of my own. I haven’t written a book on my story yet, but in 2005 I recorded a series of songs I wrote detailing my journey with OCD and God’s intimate presence through uncharted territory. In my experience, I chased desperately after my Lord through this wilderness of mental illness, and found that it was actually Him chasing me with His love. Knowing I am held by Him, I can face each day. ❤️
Have a blessed and most wondrous vacation in Ireland! Happy 40th birthday! Keep chasing the Beauty of the Lord! His delight and His smile is more beautiful than anything. Blessings Sarah!
Intrusive thoughts are the WORST. Mine have gotten less painful to live through as I've learned not to let them lead to obsession, but yeah...it's definitely real.
Solidarity. ❤️
Thank you for sharing your experience. I have been told by a professional that I have "OCD tendencies" especially when I am stressed, and I could relate to your reflection. I remember when I was first told this; it was interesting and somewhat freeing to realize that I was not just conjuring up these disturbing thoughts on my own, and it wasn't related to my spiritual life. OCD truly feels like a mind assault fire hydrant that will not shut off.
Thankfully, CB therapy, supportive community, and lots of painful practice have helped me become soooooo much healthier. I pray for you a continued journey toward peace.
Sarah since I am no longer on social media, I really appreciate you reprinting this here for your subscribers. I'll be forwarding it to a friend. Thank you!
Sarah, I'm grateful for this, and was also very moved by your Plough article when it first came out. Thank you for your strong and charitable words on all of this.
How I wish I'd had your voice 5 years ago as a child of mine came to me with similar visions and I had no idea who to turn to or if it was somehow my fault as a bad parent. Having been influenced by this same leader for many years, all it caused in us was shame and fear when we should have been gentle, loving, patient and understanding. Thank you for telling your story