The mental health conversation in the Christian world has had its fair share of ups and downs. The health of our minds has long been swept under the rug by the body of Christ.
Even though we have seen great men of faith deal with depression, such as Charles Spurgeon, we still find ourselves dismissing the reality of the attack that is taking place right now in the minds of many. It doesn't discriminate against your race, sex, or religious affiliation. Mental health is quickly becoming an epidemic in its own right.
Suicide rates have risen dramatically in the last 20 years, especially among believers. This should break our hearts and spur us to find help and hope rather than allowing our brothers and sisters in Christ to suffer in silence and shame.
Your mental health doesn't mean your faith is weak. It means our minds are.
Our minds are weak because we live in a fallen world, which was drastically changed by choice in the Garden. Sin wrecks the human body. Our minds are not exempt from the rippling effects of sin that still flow outward from that time.
How do we ask for help in a culture that hesitates to engage in the conversation?
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What Stops Christians from Seeking Counseling and Asking for Help
Asking for help isn't easy, because it's an admission that we are flawed and don't have all the things figured out. We think asking for help means that in some way, we have failed. The truth, however, is that asking for help when you have reached the end of yourself is precisely what God intends for you to do.
One of the greatest things we can do for ourselves is to be ok with being weak. To be ok with not having it all figured out or resolved in our efforts. God will give us more than we can handle in our strength because He wants us to get our eyes off of ourselves and on to Him.
It has been the notion for too long that if we are "good enough" Christians, we will never struggle with things like depression or anxiety. We will never wrestle out unbelief or difficulties. But that is not the truth we know about God. Prosperity isn't promised.
God knew that we would be anxious people. That is why in His word, the phrase "do not fear" is used over three hundred times. He knew we would wrestle with dark days, which is why David so poetically wrote about his soul's downcast nature in the Psalms. It is all to point us in one direction, to Christ.
Seeking counseling or help for mental health is almost as taboo as talking about the diagnosis itself.
Yes, as Christians, we rely on the word of God and prayer first and foremost. Yet, there are times when an individual must seek counsel from someone who can give them tools for healing, point them to the truth, and sort the trauma in their heart.
There are practical steps we can take in helping others or ourselves seek help when it is needed.
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1. Let a trusted leader or mentor know what you are walking through.
Reach out to your Pastor or Bible study leader that you trust. Let them know what is going on, seek their counsel. Ask if they can point you in the direction of a good Christian counselor. If they are unsure of a direction to point you in, seek out your county's denominational association who would be able to point you in the right direction.
"Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors, there is safety." (Proverbs 11:14)
2. Seek a Christian Counselor who will point you to the truth of the Gospel over and over again.
The best thing to look for in a counselor is one who will continuously point you back to the truth of God's word as part of your healing tools. This is vital as the Bible is our sure foundation. It is the very words of God for us. For healing, for teaching, for correction, to equip us to live a righteous life.
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
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3. Trust that God gave good gifts to His children for the benefit of the body of Christ.
This is my key argument about why it is ok for Christians to seek counseling. Our great creator who made us, formed us, saved us, is also the giver of extraordinary gifts. Gifts that edify and encourage the body of Christ. Just as musicians lead worship is a gift to the church, so is the one called to counsel from biblical truth.
If God gave it, then it is an excellent gift.
"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and everyone, it is the same God at work." (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)
4. God doesn't want you to remain in the pit you are in.
God doesn't desire for us to stay in a pit of despair. He doesn't want us to be so robbed of joy that we rob ourselves of life. It doesn't mean we will have a life of ease. It doesn't mean that a cure will be found.
It does mean that God will not abandon us along the way.
Counseling for believers is a gift. One that removes us from self-reliance and points us to the cross as many times as we need to hear it. Our thoughts and feelings can cloud our truth sometimes. We need someone who will speak truth over us and brush the clouds back and remind us that the sun (Son) never stopped shinning even though the grey clouds seemed to block its view.
Michelle Rabon is a wife and homeschooling mom of three who feels called to help women thrive in their walk with Jesus every day. In 2012, she started Displaying Grace, a ministry that is focused on helping women engage with God’s Word. Michelle has also served in women’s ministry for the past five years seeking to equip women in the local church through Bible study. When she is not writing or teaching, she enjoys reading, being close to the ocean, and drinking a lot of coffee.
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Originally published Friday, 15 May 2020.
