Finding Jesus in the Storm: A Devotional for Those Living With Psychosis and Schizophreniaنموونە

Named, Not Labelled

The word “schizophrenia” carries weight. Sometimes, it brings relief: a way to name what has been happening. Sometimes, it brings pain: a label that reduces a meaning-filled life to a set of symptoms. In many cultures, being called “schizophrenic” leads to a kind of social exile. It can feel like being pushed to the edge of the world. But God does not define people by diagnosis. God defines everyone by God’s love. A diagnosis can describe something real, a pattern of experience, a way of suffering, a form of vulnerability. However, no diagnosis can capture the whole truth of a person. Medical terms may be useful; they may help clarify our struggle. But they do not reveal who we are in the eyes of God. The voice of God speaks deeper than any label. It calls us not by condition, but by love. When God speaks in Scripture, it is not with labels but names: beloved, child, mine. These are names that embody identity, even when others fade away. In psychosis, the sense of self may feel fractured or stolen. But the name that God speaks to you does not rely on clarity of mind or strength of will. It is spoken before confusion, and it endures through it. In the presence of God, there are no case files, only people. No diagnoses, only names.

What names have others called you? What name might God be whispering instead?