faithMile

James 2:5 (New International Version)

Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?

I used to get frustrated with God.  When I worked with the mentally ill, I noticed that a disproportionate amount of them were Christian.  I don’t mean the type of people who, because of their illness, spout religious-sounding non-sequitors, but true believers who remain faithful even when they are medicated and lucid.  I wondered why people who so profoundly believed in God and who followed him so faithfully had to be subjected to such hardships.  Often, their illness prevented them from working – for some, even causing them to lose well-established careers – so one of the consequences was that they were financially poor and often dependent on state assistance.  Some had lost contact with family members who did not understand.  Some gained criminal records because they turned to illegal street drugs when their symptoms began, not understanding that they had treatable illnesses.  For others, the pressures of life caused them to turn to drugs, which left them with damaged brains and mental illness as a result.  Still, they believed in God, so why did he leave them there?