I Met Mental Health Struggles - God Met Me There Too
I don’t know, maybe it sounds all too cliche now. To say I struggle with mental health is such a vague confession or admittance. Mental health issues are on the rise like they never have been before. But we already knew this…The harsh reality is we are talking more about mental health now more than ever before, and yet we are still losing in the numbers game. Despite efforts by both the evangelical world and secular society to begin addressing this, listening to the stories of others and showing up to the candlelight memorials, we are still falling apart. I…am falling apart. Okay, hold your horses. I am not falling apart…not exactly. But when I say I struggle with mental health, I mean my mental health issues have altered many aspects of my life, and have nearly taken it. It sounds intense and may feel dramatic to read those words, but it is the truth. And of course, when you pair mental health imperfections with the hustle of the enemy to steal, kill and destroy, it offers the perfect storm of chaos, suffering and absolute desperation.
Okay, so I’ve explained to you the situation, and how very real that situation is in my life. I think I am ready to move on to the more encouraging and promising part of this article, and I’m sure you are too. But, I ask you, and myself, to never downplay the reality of how hard the above confession was to make. Anyways, on to the good part. I can confidently claim that if God was not in my life, I would have lost my life to this years ago. The “but God” expression we’ve used in sermon series and instagram reels is all too practical and powerful in my story. The reason I have hope and am alive today is because this was never my story - not even the hard and messy parts. This story belonged to God. This story belongs, today, to God. Tomorrow, with every dark reality and painful circumstance or harsh feeling, it all belongs to God. My encouragement to anyone who is reading this, who likely struggles with mental health to some extent, is to make the personal decision and choose to give every part of your story over to the supreme ownership of Jesus. Until you do that, nothing will make sense, everything will fall apart and your life will continue to be ruled by the powers and wonderings of a really, really messed up world.
The future is incredibly bright for those who struggle with mental health but have found a friend in Jesus. Because this friend of ours, He’s made some pretty heavy promises. Christ claimed to never leave us or forsake us. Christ claims to take ownership of our souls. Christ has said we cannot hide our inequity from Him. And Christ screams from the cross He died on that even though we will know and experience great trouble in this world, He has overcome the world. Every dark thought, He overcame it. Every lonely feeling, He conquered that. And every unhealed disease or struggle that continues to manifest itself in our life…He has guaranteed the final say and the blessed hope. The enemy will tell you and me that our story is way past due. Jesus says our story is far from over and continues through eternity with Him.
My conclusion are some bullet points. I am speaking these to myself and asking God to give me the courage to remember these and act on these just as much as I am speaking them to you. And this means I am presenting you with the opportunity to reach out to me and hold me accountable and pray for me. I need you, and you need me. This is the power and promise of Christian community. God gave us a community so that through each of us, and by the power of His Spirit, we would overcome or endure impossible odds, sufferings and hardships in and for His name.
Mental Health Struggles may be a physical condition as much as a spiritual one. Get professional and clinical help. Seek Godly counselors, doctors and therapists that can provide stable treatment, medication or therapy.
Do not kid yourself. Your mind is one of the most intricate and marvelous wonders of God’s creation and it is the door to your soul. The enemy desires to destroy your mind and is in a relentless campaign to use any and all vices in your life to do so. Guard your mind.
Do not grow weary of asking for help. Admitting our weakness and seeking solutions and healing and restorative tools is courageous according to scripture. Ask for help, as many times as you need to. You may take mental health struggles to the grave. Healing is not promised in this life. Therefore, do not grow weary in the doing of good (asking for help).
More of Jesus, less of us. Mental health struggles often pose the intense chance that pride, perfection and comparison want to take root in our life. Speaking from experience, mental health and its implications can serve as an idol in your life as anything else can. The moment we worship or speak of the journey more than we adore and testify to the shepherd of our journey is the moment we have given over to the work of the enemy. Battle your pride fiercely with the love of God and love for His scripture.
Do not give up. God has not given you permission to give up. But He has created the chance to give in…to Him. Have the bad days. Admit when you are wrong. Call someone when you feel like you're losing or going crazy in your head. Be brutally honest. Have courage. And live the life that God is calling you to live.
~ Ryken
