To My Christian Brothers and Sisters Regarding Rachel Dozeal

As someone who struggles with mental illness, it sounds to me as though this woman is not well in the head. She sounds like a woman who is really sick and needs help. She sounds like a woman who could benefit from knowing that she is worthy of love and honor just the way she was born. She is a cherished daughter of our King. Of course, I’m working off of pure hearsay. I can’t know her full story the way America does news. Aside from the comparatively few folks who know Ms. Dozeal personally, we are all merely spectators consuming filtered (and packaged) information.  So, the question I am asking you is this:

→Is it ever ok to crack jokes about someone who is clearly hurting and in need?
→Is pontificating about her problems really edifying to anyone?
→How would you talk about her if you were her mother or her father? How would you feel about the way others are treating her if you were her sister or brother?

 
I know many Christians who profess that, given the opportunity to have Ms. Dozeal over for dinner, that they would extend hospitality to her, but I want those Christians to ask themselves this: if she had the opportunity to hear you mocking her, do you think she would see the love of Christ in your invitation?

“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.  For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.”
-Galatians 5:13-15 (ESV)

Personally, I want to know what happened to being gracious to those who are hurt and in need of Christ’s love?  My proposal is simply this: that we all stop laughing, pointing fingers and rubbernecking unhelpfully and start praying for her instead. Will you join me?