The Origin of Nasty Behavior

Jeremiah 17:9 - The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

People with certain kinds of mental illness are notorious for their unkind words and actions. But I am the child of 10,000 questions. One day I asked the Lord, "Does mental illness make a person mean?"

It just gives freer expression to what's already inside.

"OK. I get that. Jesus said, "Out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks." But is a person with mental illness destined for a life of dysfunction and broken relationships?"

It's a predilection*, not a destiny.

* DEFINITION: predilection is a tendency, proclivity, predisposition, or inclination

Sometime later, when I was reading about relationships in the Bible, I asked God, "These rules work for normal people. But what about someone with a mental illness?"

The same rules apply.

His answer made sense to me. God didn't write two Bibles, one for normal people and another for those suffering from a mental illness. His Word applies to all people in all situations - without exception. People with a mental illness may be handicapped, but they are not helpless. I deeply respect the honest woman who said,

"My bipolar disorder might explain why I do certain things. But it doesn't excuse them."

God can work with an honest person. But what He can do with a person who is in denial?