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That is one tough question our church pastor found hard to answer according to him.
I really did not want to ask him this, but I just couldn’t control myself since it had seemed to sync in with his sermon. So I took the courage to approach him and ask it anyway.
“If God loves kids and plans to prosper and give them a better future, why did He allow my child to have bipolar illness, an illness that limits her in every way and deprives her of many things a regular child like her should be enjoying.”
He did not give me an answer, but instead, he asked me that if I had time, he would love to talk to me in his office for a while.
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Stop Thinking It Is About You, It Is About God
I was sitting on the couch in his office when he came in. He sat on the chair beside me and gave me a general answer, “It is the result of the sin committed by Adam and Eve when they broke their covenant with the Lord.” I found it hard to accept his answer, which is, it is a part of the punishment that continues to persist, but God offers to heal. “Why does it have to be my kid of all people, and why bipolar disorder?”
I have been serving the church even before I got married, and even after having a family I still make sure to commit my free time to do my part as a member of the church choir. My husband and I waited for years to have a child, and when He did grant our prayers, He gave us a child with mental illness. Is this my punishment? Or my child’s?
He further explained that sometimes God uses our disabilities, in the case of my child her bipolar illness, to bring us closer to Him, not to push us away. To some, suffering results in their walking away or falling into addiction, but this is not God’s purpose. It is to pursue us to commit to the path leading to Him.
He Heals All Diseases
In the gospels in the Bible, there are many instances where Jesus heals all kinds of diseases, from leprosy, blindness, pains, epilepsy to those who have mental illness and possessed by demons, and they were all healed.
If God was able to heal those illnesses, He could also give healing to my daughter. He is a God of mercy, love, and grace. He reinforces the faith of those struggling, like me, by giving hope.
Fact: “onpharmacological treatments for bipolar depression are practical and effective interventions that can work in concert with medications to improve patient outcomes” – Saundra Jain, MA, PsyD, LPC
My Child’s Bipolar Disorder Is The Turning Point
I was not satisfied yet by our pastor’s answers. I came home with the same question on my mind.
One day as I was practicing a song, my daughter sang with me, until I found myself listening to her singing. God made me realize that He was calling me and my whole family to His side. He wanted us to stay by His side because we can find hope only in Him.
I may never have the real and exact answer I wanted to hear, but I was able to have clarity of mind that God has a bigger plan for my daughter and our family. No one can genuinely fathom his intentions, but He assures me it is for our good and brighter future.
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“Medication is crucial for managing bipolar disorder,” says John Preston, PsyD.
God Uses Our Weaknesses
God uses my daughter’s illness to heal the brokenness in some families as we share our story in the pulpit. God uses our family and me as an example to many how despite our daughter’s shortcomings, we love her unconditionally, and we raised her not perfectly, but with faith and with conviction to use her talent in serving the Lord.
She may have her tantrums sometimes, she may be challenging to interact with, but by God’s grace, she was able to find her purpose. Just like me, she enjoys singing in the choir. We sometimes sing together and share our thoughts and our faith through our music. She also teaches kids music, and she enjoys it.
My daughter has found her joy, and my husband and I discovered our strength by asking God the question that has been bothering us for years through our pastor.
God allows illness, sufferings, and pains for us to find joy and strength in Him, for us to see our purpose, and to draw us closer to His love and protection.
Fact: “It is not uncommon for counselors to be hesitant to take on clients with a bipolar diagnosis, according to practitioners who specialize in the disorder.” – Laurie Meyers, LPC
