Dear Robin Williams and Zelda, an open letter to them

Dear Robin Williams,

Thank you for all the joy and laughter you brought to so many of us over the years. In spite of and despite of the personal battle you were fighting all that time, you delighted countless fans all over the world. As an alien in "Mork & Mindy," Genie in "Aladdin," a nanny in "Mrs. Doubtfire," a doctor in "Patch Adams," a dad in "RV," a boy who grew too fast in "Jack," a nutty professor in "Flubber," a great teacher in "Dead's Poet Society," and many other roles I may not even know or have never seen. 

Mr. Williams, I am sorry that society failed you miserably. If only there were no stigmas. If only more churches were proactively ministering to and with families like yours and mine and many others who struggle with mental health issues and other special needs instead of demonizing them and insisting that if only we prayed more, repented more, or just had a little more faith than we do. 

Mr. Williams, you will be sorely missed. And I do hope that you are now in a place of oeace and comfort now. You were not a coward and you were not selfish.

Zelda, I never knew you and never really saw you until the media circus, but if you see this, I want you and your brothers and all of your dad's loves to know that you are loved and that we are glad that you chose to share your dad with us on some level. We did not know him the way you did. We only knew what he chose to share with us. And what I saw was a kind man who cared about everyone and everything. I mean, a man who goes out of his way to meet a gorilla who can only use sign language to communicate, rescue dogs, and even raise money for children who battle with cancer must be kind, right? Your father will always be remembered for the joy and the tears he brought to us on the small and the large screens. And he will be sorely missed. I am sorry that there are people out there who ended up bullying you. Stand strong though! Know that God loves you and will comfort you during this time of grief and mourning.

Love in Christ,

Susan

Rock-Solid

Psalm 48:12-14 - Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.

Psalm 102:25-27 - Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end. The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before you.

Psalm 102:25-27 (NLT) - Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. They will perish, but you remain forever; they will wear out like old clothing....But you are always the same; you will live forever.

Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Revelation 1:8 - "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

Dear God, thank You for never changing even in the midst of turmoil in the world. I find it amazing that people are still claiming that Christians who commit suicide will not go to heaven. Well, while I find it appalling that a Christian would fall so deep into depression that would push them to that point, I fully understand. And for someone to say that shows that their theology is false and weak. Because the ONE thing that is sure is that YOU are ALWAYS honest. When You say of a person has Jesus in his or her heart, then he or she is guaranteed entrance into heaven, YOU mean it. I still hope and pray that Robin Williams was a Christian. But I do not know. And I might not ever know until it is my turn to enter heaven. Because I simply do not know what was in his heart. I do know that he was very brave to use his talents to bring joy and laughter, and tears and humanity into the world despite of and in spite of his own personal battle. And to help with the grieving process for his family and friends and fans all over the world, it is best at this point to leave people with the knowledge and understanding that he is now no now longer struggling if he was a true believer and had Christ in his heart. And that we can take to the bank. Because as the title of today's devotion states, YOU ARE ROCK-SOLID. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Hey God, It's Me, Susan. A theological look at Robin Williams' Death.

So many questions. Questions galore. Was Robin Williams a Christian? Did he have sincere faith in You, God? I hope so. But I am now angry. People on Facebook keep claiming Christians will not go to heaven if they sin before they die. Well, keep on believing that I guess because I am tired of arguing. If Robin Williams was a Christian, I KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is now resting with You, God in a state of eternal peace and comfort. If he wasn't, well, I am not going to venture into that because it is my job as a Christian to HOPE that he was. I did do some research this morning though. I looked up whether suicide was unforgivable. The article I found said it wasn't. Matter of fact, it even said that if a man sins and dies of a heart attack but didn't have a chance to say he was sorry, he will still go to heaven as long he was a Christian. That man that said otherwise, is wrong. His theology is wrong. And for the sake of his theology, I hope he doesn't end up in an argument with his wife before he dies or based on his theology, he will be going to hell. I am going to choose to believe the best. God, we are not able to see a another's heart. And we should never put ourselves into the position of condemning someone to hell unless they are absolutely not following Your Word. NEVER. No one knows for sure what the unforgivable sin is, but if we have to ask what it is, then not one of us has come close to committing it. The fact that we even ask what it is means that we are thinking and we are being diligent to not commit it, though from what I learned, a true Christian can never commit it because the Spirit will restrain us from doing so. My heart goes out to the family and friends of Robin and all the costars who consider him a friend. My heart goes out to Zelda who was cyberbullied in the aftermath. She does not deserve that. My heart goes out to Jeff Bridges who plays in The Giver and got so choked up when he asked his thoughts about the news of the death. My heart goes out to Koko who although she is a gorilla feels loss over him as well. My heart goes out to the kids battling cancer that he touched. My heart goes out to the entire world, including me, who have all been impacted by him. God, I miss Genie. And if he is in heaven with You, make sure You give him a giant hug from all of us on earth who have been made a little happier because of his talents. Thank You, God. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Enjoy Life!

Matthew 1:23 - "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us).

John 10:10-11 - The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. 

Dear God, it is so hard sometimes to look up and see the rainbows in life. Right now, it is extremely hard in light of the loss of Robin Williams. As I read the title of today's devotion, I said I wish that he had been able to enjoy life more. But he had something wrong with him chemically. And it makes me sad. He lost his battle. He no longer had the strength to finish. But I rest in confidence in the fact that You are omnipotent and sovereign. You predetermined or predestined Robin Williams to return home when he did. The only thing I can pray is that he was a believer and is now resting with You in heaven. His story has brought out the worst on many people though. Just this morning, I read that his daughter left social media because of bullying due to the loss of her dad. It makes no sense. Why attack the family? Did they really have to release the gory details of how he did it? And I also see a lot of "Christians" who are being really judgmental and ignorant about what happened. Some of them are saying that depression is a demon that can be prayed away, that he should have just prayed and repented and he would have been fine, that he committed the unforgivable sin, that he must in hell because he was selfish and took his own life. From what I have learned and from what You have been teaching, those are untruths. Depression is not a demon. It is a chemical imbalance in the brain or a situational upset to the nervous system. Many people struggle with it at some point in their lives. The veteran who now has PTSD. The autistic who is smart and understands that he or she is different, longs to fit in, but still gets rejected no matter how hard he or she tries. The mom after giving birth because her body was literally one with her baby. Depression does not discriminate. Not one of is truly know what was in his heart. While I hope he was a believer, I do not know. But You do. Depression was his special need. Special needs cannot be prayed away. Churches and Christians who believe that are doing more harm than good. And they need to repent. Jesus came to heal the sick and to save the  lost. And You created ALL of us and love us. The unforgivable sin? Do any of us know what that is beyond some kind of blasphemy against the Spirit? No. But I do know it is not suicide. Robin Williams did not commit the unforgivable sin. He did not take the coward's way out or the easy way out. He put on a facade of bravery hiding his own personal battle from the world while bringing it joy and laughter along with the tears and humanity. Some people said he was selfish to take his life. My mom said he may have felt like he was a burden, and did the most unselfish thing possible to release his family from having to worry about him so much. We feel loss. Nowhere near as much as his family and friends. And my heart goes out to them. He was a kind man and so gracious to so many whom he touched and met. Even Koko the gorilla! God, we have a hole in our lives right now, but I hope You are now embracing one of the most influential and inspirational people who has ever been on earth. Thank You for giving us the opportunity to laugh and cry because of Robin Williams. Thank You for the many generations of people who have had the chance to have him in their homes on the screens or see him in the theaters or meet him for not a single person has not somehow been touched by his life. I just wish that depression didn't exist so he could have enjoyed his life more. Help me to always enjoy life no matter what I go through. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Like a Candle

Isaiah 42:2-3 - He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. 

Isaiah 54:10 - "For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed," says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

Romans 8:26 - Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Dear God, I need Your comfort and Your rest. I grow weary right now from many things. Renew me. Thank You for being there and for loving me. God, also comfort the family and close friends of Robin Williams. His death announcement last night was very emotional. Teach people what they need to know when they see the film "The Giver" later this week, which I personally think everyone should do. Jeff Bridges was so choked up when asked about Robin Williams. They said he possibly took his own life. I have not heard much about whether he believed in You, but I hope he did because if he did, then he is now at peace with You instead of hurting and having to battle the monster of depression. His death stands as a reminder of why it is more important now than ever for churches to step up and stop treating mental disorders and other special needs as sins and start actually ministering to people who are struggling with them. There are simply not enough counselors out there. His death stands as a reminder of why it is crucial to remove the barriers and stigmas attached to mental health issues so that people will not be afraid to get the help they need. Men, in particular, tend to believe that needing help is a sign of weakness. I disagree. A man who acknowledges that he needs help and then actually seeks help is showing more strength than a man who doesn't. Because when he does, he is showing that he is honest and open. In this assessment, I see where Tom was a coward because instead of dealing with the conflict as he usually would, he bought lies and spread lies instead of actually talking with me about what happened. When confronted with truth, he took a cop out. But I am called to more. The letter will finally be written this week since I will finally have the time. I saw many people who said Robin Williams took the coward's way out. No, he didn't. He did the last thing he thought was the only option left. His death reminds me of what that pastor's family went through last year with their son. I started to call depression a demon, but quickly changed it to monster for a reason. Calling it a demon is the reason churches have failed when it comes to the special needs ministry arena. Too many churches call the special needs and mental illnesses demons and say, "Well, we can pray over them and pray with them and they will be healed of it." STOP!!!! Churches are doing more damage when they do that than if they just actually minister to and with the people who are challenged and blessed by them. And I am one of the people who was damaged because of the existence of that mentality in a church that was supposed to be safe from abuse and bullying, but ended up being so corrupt that I suffered from abuse and bullying instead. God, how my heart aches because to the extent of having special needs myself and seeing my mom's own struggle with PTSD, I really cannot blame Robin Williams for what he did, if he in fact did take his own life. He will be greatly missed though. He brought us all laughter and tears. "Patch Adams" as the doctor who brought comedy to his patients. "Jack" as the boy who grew into a man too fast. "Aladdin" as Genie. "Mrs. Doubtfire" as a nanny because he just wanted to be able to see his children and be a good dad to them. "Dead Poets Society" as the teacher who made an impact on his students. And many other unforgettable roles. Oh, how how we will be sorely missed. In Jesus' Name, Amen!