Feebleminded - Pressure
Scripture Reading - 1 Thessalonians 5:14 KJV
Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.
In today’s society we run into a lot of people with troubling aliments, such as dementia and Alzheimer disease. It seems like we all have people in our lives that suffer from various stages of these dreaded memory diseases. This is the reason we (ihlcc) decided to mention what we have learned about ministering to people with these types of aliments. The Holy Bible addresses this mental condition as “Feebleminded”. The word “feeble” means to be weak, soft or frail; physically this could be from a sickness, disease or just age (very young or older). When you couple the word “feeble” to “mind” it basically speaks of mental weakness, insufficient reasoning or intellectual power this could also be for several reasons but we are speaking today of the ones associated with pressure (not age or physical sickness). We (ihlcc) have noticed a few people become “feebleminded” due to an enormous amount of mental pressure or a constant application of mental pressure not dealt with properly. What we mean is that we have seen a person with a lot of pressure in their life start to change for the worst. This is because mental pressure from the evil one if left unchecked will produce an evil result. We are sure that many people have heard of someone they knew losing their mind because the circumstances they faced at a specific time of their life. This can happen due to a single event with a large amount of stress like a divorce due to a spouse being unfaithful or it could happen after a traumatizing event like the loss of a close loved one. We have also seen people who have a severe aliment start losing touch with reality. Also, it is not uncommon for those people suffering financial lack to over tax their brain with trying to figure out exactly what they should do next to alleviate their problems. This word is not about how to overcome those problems if you suffer from “feeblemindedness” but rather how you should respond to anyone you know in that specific state. The key words we will mention at this time are comfort and patience. We notice that both these terms are used in the scripture above because God always knows what is best (what actually works). First, we must learn how to comfort people because comfort brings peace and a certain amount of calmness and joy. If you can look at those people as being mentally sick it will be easier to have compassion upon them when ministering God’s comfort. It is important to realize they are mentally weak (feeble) so they will probably not make sound (solid) decisions. Yes, even in some basic ideas they might not grasp the simple concept you are trying to communicate with them. Therefore with the comfort (gentleness) of God’s Holy Spirit you must be patient. Not patient in the sense that eventually they will see things your way but rather patient in the sense of never being upset with them because their lack of understanding. It is sad to look into the world today and find so many people suffering from “feeblemindedness” and too many people are clueless on how to deal with these people. We know a lot of nursing homes and care giving facilities are supposed to be supportive and kind but sometimes even these places are mean and abusive. One thing we (ihlcc) have learned is that the “feeblemind” does not only apply to those diagnosed with dementia or Alzhemir’s disease but all people who are weak minded when it comes to decision making and reasoning. Since there are always various degrees of “feeblemindedness” we must be cautious when dealing with all people who seem to struggle with sound judgment. One time we (ihlcc) were working with person who didn’t seem to want to face some serious problems of reality that would affect their future. We thought it strange and troubling that they would not allow a good conversation around the truths of the situation. When people are in darkness we always want to set them free. However, when the Good Gracious Lord revealed to us that they were “feebleminded” we suddenly realized that they could not make the decision we were looking for because of their mental condition at that time. This ministry scenario taught us to comfort those who don’t understand and teach those who are capable of understanding. Please note that in both of those cases patience will be necessary. Yes, our faith friend, there are those who want to know truth and exactly how it relates to reality and there are others who have a blurred view of reality that you cannot change. The key is love them both equally and have the wisdom to know the difference because if you don’t comfort the “feebleminded” in love and patience you will never be effective in ministering to their deep need of hope, healing and compassion. Amen!