Helping you navigate the tension between faith & mental health by looking at a tension point, a talking point and a truth to ponder.
Tension Point
“I’m really struggling at the moment. I’ve thought about counselling, but I just don’t know where to start. And if I’m honest, I have a strong faith and feel like that should be enough.”
Talking Points
A couple years ago, that little dreaded orange engine light popped up on the dashboard of my car. Since learning to drive, I have jumped from one old car to the next, so this was nothing new and I was worried that taking it to a mechanic would just mean an inevitable bill that I couldn’t afford. So I ignored it, hoping it would go away on it’s own.
It didn’t. A few days later I was driving home and a loud bang was followed by bellows of smoke. I popped open the bonnet to see a part of my engine in flames on the road underneath.
We can often approach our mental health like this. We see the warning signs: not sleeping properly, persistent stress or feeling extra irritable. But we don’t know what to do or what steps to take, so we pray, we try and deal with it on our own, in the hope that – in time – the lights will go off, and things will return to normal.
Prayer is powerful, undeniably. But when our car engine light shows up, while we might say a prayer, we know we should also follow this up with a professional. Someone who can pop open the bonnet, knows what they are looking for, and start any repairs before the situation gets worse. So why do we sometimes take such a radically different approach when it comes to mental health? Why do so many Christians put off the idea of counselling, thinking that their faith should be enough?
Truth to Ponder
Like a well trained mechanic, counsellors are professionals who understand the complexities of your emotional health and can help repair it without causing more harm.
There is Biblical wisdom in seeking out this kind of support. Proverbs 11:14 states, “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counsellors there is safety.”
It also reflects God’s heart for healing and restoration. Isaiah 61:1 declares: “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor… to bind up the brokenhearted.”
Counselling is one of the many tools that God can use to bring healing and hope to His people. It’s nothing to be afraid of, although we understand it can take a tremendous amount of courage to begin the journey. The most important step we take is the very first one: admitting we can’t do it all on our own (we weren’t designed to).
Just don’t know where to start?
Perhaps you are fully aware that you need some counselling, but you just have no idea where to start. That’s understandable. It can be incredibly overwhelming when you are considering it for the first time. So start off by reading this blog post, which will guide you through the things you need to think about, what to look for, and how to make sense of the different options available.
