had the giſt of God’s grace. Here was a loving God who sacrifi ced a son for my sins (of which there were many), who loves and forgives me in a way I had not been able to love or forgive myself.
Karch (in red) enjoys a laugh with other members of a Bible study group at Christ the Lord Lutheran Church, Lawrenceville, Ga. She says group members have given her a community of sisters in Christ and have taught her much about faith and compassion.
17 I bought a Bible and struggled alone to decipher
God’s word and discover God’s plans for me. Soon I realized that I needed a church and people who under- stood Scripture to help guide me. My fi rst guide was Bob Mitchell, the pastor who gave
me communion that fi rst Sunday at Christ the Lord Lutheran Church in Lawrenceville, Ga. T is congrega- tion places great value on service to the community. So I reasoned that even if I failed to make a connection with God, at least I would have served the community well. T at fi rst Sunday, when Mitchell said to the congre-
gation, “Your sins are forgiven in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,” the lump in my throat and tears in my eyes took me completely by surprise. Still I fought the concept for months: How could forgiveness possibly come that easily? Reinforcement came over the radio through
“Redeemed,” a song by Big Daddy Weave, that told me I was “fi ghting a fi ght that’s already been won.” I already
Bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder aff ects an esti- mated 2 million Americans and is generally defi ned as extreme changes in mood, thought, energy and behavior. A person’s mood can alternate between mania (highs) and depression (lows) over the course of hours, days, weeks or months.
Mania symptoms • Increased physical and mental activity and energy.
18
www.thelutheran.org
Scripture & growth Much of my spiritual growth came from joining an incredible Bible study group at the congregation. For 36 weeks we focused on becoming disciples of Jesus Christ. T e fi rst few evenings while we were getting to know
each other, two members shared their frustrations with bipolar relatives. I understood, but wondered if I could ever share my struggles with the group—even as we studied portions of the Bible that focused on individual struggles, healing the sick and compassion for the affl icted. I feared losing the closest thing I had to new friends. But if a Bible study full of faithful women wasn’t a
safe place to share, no place would be safe. I took the risk, and the purely academic exercise to which I had committed myself became a circle of sisters in Christ. Previously I had spent a lot of time silently cry-
ing out to previous friends whom I had tested to their limits: “Don’t you give up on me!” T e evening of my disclosure, nobody gave up. Despite their struggles with bipolar family members, I was loved and supported. In watching the group respond to everyday chal-
lenges, I learned how to truly care for others. Before I hadn’t understood praying for people because they felt ill, had an argument with a spouse or were dreading another day of diffi culties at work. In the life of some- one with untreated bipolar disorder, that’s just what happens before breakfast. A challenge worthy of prayer?
• Heightened mood, exaggerated optimism and self-confi dence. • Excessive irritability, aggressive behavior. • Decreased need for sleep with- out experiencing fatigue. • Racing speech, thoughts and fl ight of ideas. • Increased sexual drive. • Reckless behavior.
Depression symptoms • Prolonged sadness or unex- plained crying spells.
• Signifi cant changes in appetite and sleep patterns. • Irritability, anger, worry, agita- tion, anxiety. • Pessimism, loss of energy, persis- tent lethargy. • Feelings of guilt and worthlessness. • Inability to concentrate, indecisiveness. • Recurring thoughts of death and suicide.
Source:
http://bphope.com
ROBIN NELSON
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