It’s hard to believe that he’s gone. When I first heard … I thought it was a mistake. “Nah, that can’t be”, I thought to myself. “Impossible.” I heard that he had passed away and then I heard that he had committed suicide …
And then people started to message me.
And then I started to see the memorial posts popping up on social media.
And then I went to scan his social media accounts.
And then I realized that the podcast we were planning to do for the release of his book would never happen.
And then I realized I’d never speak to him again.
… And then I began to think about how life is so short and so unpredictable and so, so hard and that sometimes in life the things that we fight so hard against for the sake of others, I began to ponder how perhaps we take up that fight on behalf of others because it’s a fight we’ve been so desperately trying to win in our own lives.
Steve was an advocate for mental health, a leader in tearing down the stigma around mental health that exists all over the place, but very specifically in the church. If you listened to the episode, Steve had attempted suicide once before and after surviving he dedicated his life to helping others find hope in the midst of their despair.
As vocal as Steve was on behalf of others, though, and as successful as he was in helping others extinguish their demons … he still battled his own.
It think that’s important for us to remember, right?
Because there are people in your life who appear strong and appear to have it all together, but as the saying goes, “everyone is fighting a battle you can’t see”; and so it’s important for us to remember that the strongest people in our lives may very well be the ones who are experiencing the greatest amount of grief inside as they wrestle with the very thing they are trying to help others defeat.
So, check on them.
Ask them the hard questions.
Make sure they are OK.
Be relentless.
I think it’s also important to remember that Steve didn’t “lose his battle” with depression. Perhaps on the surface that would appear to be so, but he didn’t. Instead, his battle continues in you and in me.
He wrote a new book called “Hiding in the Pews” and that book … it’s part of his legacy, part of his message and his heart and his faith and his hope for the world that can live on in your life and in mine. I’ve said it in a few social media posts, but Steve has left behind a massive torch for us to pick up. None of us can pick it up on our own, but together we can take hold of it and bring it into the future.
And as we carry that torch, we must continue where Steve left off …
We must be vocal about mental health.
We must tear down the stigma that surrounds it.
We must create safe spaces for people to talk about depression, anxiety, etc.
We must share Steve’s story.
We must share Steve’s work.
We must challenge the church and the system and the machine that brushes depression to the side, ignores the science behind it, and offers unhelpful spiritual antidotes that tend to make it worse.
… We must carry this work forward into the world, and make Steve’s work known to everyone, everywhere so that more and more people who are struggling with their mental health can be connected to and comforted by Steve’s gentle soul.
Much love.
Glenn || PATREON / BUY ME A COFFEE