Living with mental health challenges can be hard work! And living alongside someone who has a mental health challenge can also be hard work. There is no room for idealism when the rubber hits the road. I think one of the keys to navigating these things well is learning to be honest about our pain and suffering. If, as Christians, we think we have to hide our feelings or simply endure difficulties in silence, we will end up with new difficulties. We need to name our suffering.

If we read the psalms of lament, we very quickly realize that prayer, like love, is not a starry-eyed enterprise.