Joyful Sorrow: Breaking Through the Darkness of Mental Illness
By Julie Busler (Iron Stream Media)
According to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide ranks as the 11th leading cause of death in the United States but 2nd for those ages 10 to 14 and 20 to 34. Annually, more than 48,000 individuals—one person every 11 minutes—commit suicide. Another 1.7 million attempt to take their own lives, and an estimated 12.3 million seriously contemplate the action.
Christians are not immune. Julie Busler, Oklahoma Woman’s Missionary Union president, well understands those statistics. She lived them, as she details in Joyful Sorrow: Breaking Through the Darkness of Mental Illness.
On the outside, Busler’s world seemed filled with flawless light. She and her husband Ryan served as international workers in Turkey, having previously lived in Canada, Mexico and Germany. Their marriage, their children, her home and her ministry appeared picture-perfect. Her mother-in-law posted glowing social media compliments after a visit, but the 30-something mother of four lived secretly “entrenched in darkness.” Her mother, who had been diagnosed with cancer when the girl was 8, died a “graphic” death when she was 19. Her father subsequently committed suicide.
Eventually, Busler’s mental breakdown led to a Turkish psychiatric hospital and a diagnosis of severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. The family returned to Oklahoma, where Busler grew to believe she had become a “burden to her family” and felt suicide was the “courageous choice.” Hospitalization, science, counseling and the light of Scripture, particularly Psalms 88 and 23, and the prayers of Jesus and Nehemiah, subsequently led her to stability and light, although her journey isn’t always smooth.
Secrecy and stigma continue to plague individuals suffering with mental illness, particularly Christians and those in ministry. As Busler pondered the short, sad letter she nearly left behind with her attempted suicide, God interrupted her thoughts. “I could either write a short note of despair or a whole book of hope.”
Joyful Sorrow is the author’s message of hope, bringing joy to others from her sorrow. Read it. Learn from it. Share it. You’ll be thankful you did.
Kathy Robinson Hillman, former president
Texas WMU and Baptist General Convention of Texas
Waco
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