*Trigger Warning: depression and suicidal thought.
This video addresses mental health issues that affect people from all walks of life. While addressing parts of these issues within the context of Christian community is important, there are times when further professional help may be required. It is OK to ask for help! If you are in this situation, please seek out a mental health professional. A tool to find a professional in your area, along with other resources, can be found at https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/life-and-relationships/emotions/mental-health-resources.html.
Call 988 – Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Veterans can press “1” after dialing 988 to connect directly to the Veterans Crisis Lifeline
Transcript: So when America’s Capitol was stormed, January 6, my unit was called to go down to respond, and so that’s exactly what we did. I’m a chaplain and the entire unit, we went down there, and our job was to protect the House of Representatives. I’m thinking, like, “Man, what does a chaplain got to do with this type of situation?” And there was all kinds of unique environments that I found myself in.
But one of them was when a soldier approached me and said, “Hey, listen. I need you to check on my friend. He’s not himself.” I said, okay. So I just. As a chaplain, I go and I listen to people all the time. That’s a lot of what we do, is we listen and take care of people.
And so he was back at his room, and I had a conversation with him and just kind of wanted to see where he’s at. And he seemed to be really stuck. He was just in a very dark place. He would not answer his cell phone when his wife would call. He was completely immobilized.
And this guy’s a tough guy. He’s a sniper. He’s a pretty bad dude, and just totally mentally out of it. And so basically, I just kind of just kept listening, talking to him, and nothing was happening. And then I basically kind of put on my chaplain hat a little bit and said, well, “do you mind if I just talk about my faith and kind of how my faith really kind of speaks into this situation?” And really he said, “Yeah, sure, you have my permission, you could talk about that.” And so, for him, he was in a suicidal spot. He didn’t really want to live anymore. He was completely numbed out.
And so I talked about how God embraces suffering. And he comes into our world, Jesus Christ fully, man, fully God, embraces that narrative of suffering, and he completely took away our sin and absorbed the punishment that we deserve. And so for him, it was really important to see that Jesus wasn’t just such a,
He wasn’t just a man. He was God in the flesh. He fully identified with humanity. And so he really connected with the gospel story. And so after I talked about that, he said, “You know, you’re like, one of the only guys I’ve ever heard really articulate it this way.”
And so he said, “So, I want to believe.” And I said, “Well, slow down. Let’s slow it down. I said, that’s awesome, but I really kind of want you to understand a little bit more about the content of the story.” So I went through the KGP, through the GodTools app, and I just reviewed the gospel story, just looking at the scripture, letting God’s word speak to him.
And he really connected with it and still had more questions and really wanted to make sure it was his own. And then eventually, I shared the suggested prayer with him, and I told him to make it his own. And he’s like, “I am ready for this”. And so that’s what he did. He prayed. He accepted Christ right there on the spot.
And throughout the rest of that know, he’s been camping out in the gospel of John, reading it, and growing as a new disciple of Christ. So I just thought it was pretty cool. God brings unique stories, and just being able to articulate the gospel whenever it was needed was just awesome to see God work that way.
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