A powerful, intimate, healing story for our time.
Ericka Andersen is the author of a new book, Leaving Cloud 9: The True Story of a Life Resurrected from the Ashes of Poverty, Trauma, and Mental Illness, a hopeful story about her husband. She talks about how they decided to tell their story, and why we should all take the time to read it and pass it on.
Kathryn Jean Lopez: You write of your husband: “The day he began praying for healing and reaching out to God is the day it began to get better. The only thing required that little bit of faith and a willingness to humble himself.” Can it really be that simple?
Ericka Andersen: It was for my husband, and I believe it can be for others. Unfortunately, my husband had to hit rock bottom before reaching out in faith, but one needn’t get to such a desperate place in order to start seeking God’s guidance and provision. The Bible says we need only the faith of a mustard seed to move mountains. Indeed, it takes only this little bit for God to begin moving in our lives. All Rick needed to do was open his heart to the possibility that God could help him. Once he did so, things began moving quickly in miraculous ways.
Lopez: You are quick to add: “That doesn’t mean Rick’s life is always easy or fun. In fact, sometimes it’s a daily battle to just get up and do it all again. But it’s the small steps we take each day, sometimes without realizing it, that eventually take us to the place where we look up and realize we’ve actually gone a mile — or completed a marathon. But you have to start taking steps to eventually have that realization. And once you do, it’s a beautiful journey to look back on, even when you realize you have a lot further to go.” Does that mean rethinking what “happiness” looks like from day to day?
Andersen: Absolutely. I reiterate that Rick has found “happiness” in his life today, but that doesn’t mean he is always “happy.” It’s more like an enduring joy that supersedes the everyday setbacks we all have. In the past, he had been living in a sort of despair that colored every circumstance in dreariness — but now it’s the opposite of that. Living a life of freedom in Christ has meant seeing the world through Kingdom-colored glasses that give a new perspective to both the good and the bad things that come our way.
Lopez: Pope Francis talks about the Church as a field hospital for the wounded, where Christians have to be in the position of healing wounds. Does that resonate with you in regard to this book?
Andersen: I love the way he puts that — so true. There are so many emotional and spiritual wounds that need tending to, but they are so often invisible, which is why we need the church’s outreach and insight to find them. I don’t think we as human beings can heal anything ourselves, but we as Christians have access to the healing power of Christ. And we need to ensure that the wounded are aware that it is available to them as well. That really is the crux of the book. We wanted to offer a template of hope for people living in oppression to their pasts. It’s a difficult path but a simple one if someone has access to the information. This book could truly be part of the cure for someone who is in pain.
Lopez: When Pope Francis unpacks this field-hospital symbolism, he talks about the need for closeness, a vulnerability. That certainly resonated immediately with me when I cracked your book open, because it is certainly vulnerable! Was it hard to reveal that much of your and your husband’s hearts in this book?
Andersen: For my husband, getting the story out was ultimately part of his healing process. Talking for hours and hours about all that he went through was difficult, but it helped him process it and really recognize the severity of his pain. It also helped him see how clearly these circumstances had guided his future and affected his brain and spirit as an adult. It is anxiety-inducing for him to put his story out there in the world, but he is well aware that there are thousands of people who can relate to some aspect of the story, and he wants nothing more than for them to see hope through it. For me, discussing some of our marriage issues in the book was a little intimidating, but I want people who face similar circumstances to know they are not alone. Being married to someone with a mental illness can sometimes feel very lonely, because friends or family don’t understand your unique issues, so I hope this brings light to others facing those tough times as well.
Lopez: Where does your book leave someone who has no connection to faith right now?
Andersen: If someone reads this book and doesn’t have a connection to faith, my hope is that he or she will see how holding onto faith in God truly was life-changing for my husband. He is not out here trying to preach or impose his viewpoint on anyone — he just wanted his story to be told. This changed his entire life. If someone is reading who might be suffering from some sort of depression, or from oppression, perhaps they will entertain the idea of prayer or attending a church service. There is certainly no harm in being open to new things, and if nothing else, I hope it encourages people to consider it.
Lopez: How can we think about mental health differently? Interpersonally and more collectively?
Andersen: The stigma against mental-health issues has decreased lately, in some respects, and that’s a good thing. We need to keep in mind that mental health is just as important as physical health and treat it accordingly. If your mental health isn’t good, you can’t interact with the world in a healthy way or be the person you are meant to be. Ensuring that you have the right medication to treat yourself is imperative. But just as important is coming at it from a spiritual side, working with counselors, diligently praying for clarity, and doing everything you can to help yourself.
Ensuring that you have the right medication to treat yourself is imperative. But just as important is coming at it from a spiritual side.
Interpersonally, people need to recognize that their friends, family members, or spouse do have a medical issue and learn about it. Learn why they may react the way they do and discover how you can navigate the illness just as you would need to do if someone was in a wheelchair. You’d have to structure your house a little differently if you lived with someone who couldn’t walk. With mental illness, you might need to structure your conversations a little differently sometimes. There are ways to cope with it, but it requires educating yourself.
Lopez: What is it about Rick’s story that has taught you about the need for loving foster parents who will take children in for a time, knowing they might not be there forever?
Andersen: The power of one loving adult can make all the difference in the life of a child. Foster parents are so critical in the lives of these children — and this country needs good, principled people to step up and be there for them in these difficult times. That love and influence can make an impact for a lifetime. With so few positive influences in their lives, the ones that are there are extremely powerful. Today, the rates of kids in foster care are very high because of the opioid crisis. A wave of children will be facing the consequences of childhood trauma in the very near future. One way to tamp that down in some way is if there is a loving adult making a difference in their life.
Lopez: You write about understanding success as “living in God’s purpose, grace, and truth knowing that the past is forgiven and the future is bright.” How crucial is this?
Andersen: You can find all the human success in the world through degrees or awards and accolades, but those things ultimately fade and leave you feeling unfulfilled. Knowing you are enough and that your imperfections don’t define you is a lasting peace and joy that nothing can replace. In a culture so bent on finding the next high of fame or credibility, it’s important to be grounded in the knowledge that no matter what we do or what we do or don’t achieve, we are saved by grace and loved unconditionally.
Lopez: “Politics and culture have some catching up to do when it comes to truly helping America’s most vulnerable, forgotten citizens,” you write. Is there a starting point you’d recommend to redirect us all? Is it possible in today’s hyper-politicized, hyper-sensitive, well, just plain, hyper atmosphere?
Andersen: There are so many ways to address this crisis. I say we attack top-down, bottom-up, and from all angles. For example, in dealing with the drug crisis, it’s great that the government is taking it so seriously and addressing the problem with education programs and prevention efforts. We shouldn’t risk believing that government can fix everything. though. We need non-profits and churches and community programs to develop in some of places most affected by despair, poverty, and addiction. I’d love to see church plants take root in some of these places where religious life has really diminished and people have lost hope and purpose.
Lastly, it is our responsibility as individuals — as citizens and as Christians — to love our neighbors where they are. Maybe it’s a neighbor that’s a little further down the road, but we should find ways to reach out to the people and places most affected by the crisis, where kids are being neglected and parents have lost hope. It’s not easy, but we always have the ability to reach out personally in some way, whether through donations, volunteering, educating, or being present. We all need to work together to do our part to help those in this country who need it most.
— Kathryn Jean Lopez is a senior fellow at the National Review Institute and an editor-at-large of National Review.