Setting the Stage: What is Easter? What does the Semicolon mean?
Easter, a spring season, historical and biblical event, is the time when Jesus Christ was put on trial, crucified, and shortly after sealed in a tomb only for the tomb to be empty 3 days later. It was after this that His disciples truly realized who He was and what He was preaching, and they began sharing the Gospel of Christ over the world. Easter is when Christians recognize that Jesus’ work on earth was finished and He died for our sins so we may inherit eternal life.
John 19:30
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Matthew 28: 5-6
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
A semicolon is a punctuation mark indicating a pause between two main clauses more pronounced than a colon. Through Project Semicolon, we have the understanding that in the context of mental health: a semicolon is used when an author could have ended a sentence but chose not to. You are the author of your own story and the sentence is your life.
Bringing In The Very NOT Main Character: Me
I would love to say that life has returned to normal and everything is going great. It would be wonderful to say that my relationship with God is better than it has ever been, that as medical school graduation is around the corner I’m overjoyed to reach the finish line and what’s next in store, and that I’ve been on my grind in terms of my mental health and she is flourishing. But that would be worse than me living in delulu. That would be me straight lying. Ha! What I can say is that through graduation and the rollercoaster handling of my mental health, it has made me observe God and who he is in more detail.
These last few years, mental health, physical health, school, family health, family and friend relationships, and more have all pulled me away from my devotion to the Lord. I questioned not why he wasn’t a good God, but why he wasn’t good to me, more than I care to admit. It blended with my evolving view of where I stood in my relationships with people. If I was good to them, I was baffled by why didn’t they want to be good to me back. And in turn, I took that out on God especially when I felt like He wasn’t being good to me to begin with even though I knew He was and ultimately didn’t owe me anything.
My intentional distance from God left room for my mental health to continue to decline. Without positivity, hope, or any semblance of “goodness” in my life, “what was the point of anything” I would wonder. And it is this train of thought or similar that leads individuals to succumb to self-liberation. But this year, as Easter approached and most of my worries began to self-resolve, I realized God was gently whispering to me. He was saying that even though I thought my life no longer had meaning and continued to actively not acknowledge him, He wasn’t finished with me.
How Can You Even Compare Easter To The Heavily Symbolic Semicolon?!
Too many individuals believe God has nothing to do with mental health. Even though the words “mental health” are not explicitly stated in the bible, the stories and true essence of what Jesus stood for oppose the notion that he doesn’t care for that side of us.
You can see so much of that through a few of CMHI’s blogs:
Anxiety in the Bible – Did Jesus Experience Anxiety?
3 Psalms that Helped My Depression
Immanuel – A Poetic Reminder That God Cares
The Bible Has An Answer to Loneliness – Part 1
Should I Take Anti-Depressants As a Christian?
Because actions are greater than words, God decided to show us all that His love for us and His power surpasses death. It’s why the semicolon is so important in Matthew 28:6. He indeed has risen, and his work will continue. This is comparable to the same way we wear or align ourselves with the semicolon because we found the strength to go on and continue. It does not mean in the slightest that the journey was “never hard” or “is now over”. No! On the contrary, the bible stories do NOT get more lighthearted after Jesus’ death. There is turmoil and destruction and even more death, but in the midst of it all is the knowledge that through God we can do all things (Philippians 4:13).
I don’t know the reason why you continued or continue when life seems to be not worth continuing, but I just want to say thank you for doing so, we appreciate your presence here, and we pray that you grow and keep the strength to remain in the fight. I hope that through this blog you can find another person who cares for you and all your hurt and struggle, who saw you when you thought you were alone, and who has always and will continue to care for you. His name is Jesus Christ, our Savior. This year, as you remember the Semicolon and all the people whose lives Mental Health has touched, I hope you remember that there is a God who loves you and rose from the grave so you can shout that you’ve risen from the ashes.
More On the Blog…
Bipolar Disorder: The Critical Role of Sleep in Mental Health
Breaking the Stigma: How Faith & Mental Health Support Each Other
