Part of the semi-daily trek to Parma Heights is listening to a sports podcast based out of Columbus, Ohio. It’s basically a recording of a radio show of a few guys recounting the previous day’s activities on collegiate and professional fields of play with no shouting over one another to win an argument, no intention on demeaning the other hosts or even athletes or coaches or front office personnel, not to mention minimal commercial interruption. It’s an appreciated change of pace from the seemingly standard operating procedure in the media industry.
And while the three men spend the overwhelming majority of time focusing on football fields and basketball courts and baseball diamonds with some analysis on the happenings inside hockey arenas, too, they also let you in on the inner-workings of personal and family life. One host with his spouse raises three boys ranging from middle elementary to middle school ages, providing just enough of a foretaste of the feast to come for our respective home front. Another just moved in with his girlfriend, doing a fair share of leisurely running and cycling around the state capital, but grew up in Cleveland.
Then, in recent months, the other host shared that he and his newlywed were expecting a child. Excitement was had by all in the studio that day of the announcement, and in the weeks following as he described his struggle in ensuring everything was prepared in the home for when a baby came along to take over their world. Of course, there was also the just-as-important sports discussion as to whether you had to ingrain in the child your respective sports allegiance, or to allow them decide on their own. And then, all of a sudden…his voice vanished. And it wasn’t just for a day or two as if he was on vacation, or maybe a little more time to further prepare that nursery, or maybe parental leave came a little earlier than expected.
Finally, a different kind of announcement was posted on his social media page:
I have struggled with anxiety and depression since I was a teenager, but over the last year my symptoms became more acute. Over the last few weeks, I have been getting the help I’ve needed for my mental health. This journey revealed I wasn’t happy with my job…I have a lot of interests and thoughts outside of the world of sports, but the demands of this job didn’t leave enough time for me and my growing family. So, I have made the decision to leave…My last day has already happened.
The sports world, and many parts of the whole human world for that matter, seem to be overrun with shouting over one another, direct intention on demeaning others who stand in our way of success and happiness, as well as plenty of interruptions of even more heightened hatred and evil through verbal and even physical means. The unpleasantness of our humanity often carries over to the technology realm as well, including sports fanatics calling in to radio shows as if their life has thoroughly collapsed over a mistake made on a field of play, or sending emails to the hosts as if the recipient’s integrity should be called into question, or attempting to post as much demeaning content as possible in however many characters allowed from the social media outlet.
Thankfully, this time, humanity revealed the goodness that’s somehow still there, still here in this world that is often given up on entirely. This host could have been told to “Suck it up!” or “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps!” or the something similar, but that didn’t happen…thank God. Humanity showed that love and compassion and hope are still here. Unfortunately, most intentional and meaningful discussions about mental health are reserved for May (Mental Health Awareness Month) or perhaps around October 10 (World Mental Health Day), but we still have work to do in advancing to a life-long acceptance and support of those who struggle with anxiety and depression, which only tends to get exacerbated when so many in the world are only interested in shouting and demeaning and other human unpleasantness. But, thank God (!), there’s still enough love to make us not give up on them and the whole world that God still cherishes. There’s still enough Jesus to show us how to extend the compassion across the emotional spectrum board. There’s still enough hope in this humanity that Christ continues to live with to this day and will forevermore…no matter what. Thanks be to God, indeed!
In Christ,
Pastor Brad