I’d like to have a conversation with you about the way followers of Christ relate to issues of mental health. Few issues create more burdens for countless individuals and families. Few problems cause more misunderstanding, or isolation than emotional and mental problems that do not go away in the face of faith and prayer…
Long ago, Solomon wrote, “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14).
Could this ancient proverb offer insight not only for hurting people but also for the family members and pastors who are called upon to help them?
Overwhelming problems
So many of us have within our own families and close friends those who are living with the pain and confusion of addictions, Alzheimer’s, autism, clinical depression, marital abuse, or life-threatening eating disorders. We can only imagine how many others are struggling with posttraumatic stress, gender confusion, panic attacks, schizophrenia, or obsessive-compulsive disorders.
These are only a few of the sorrows that need the wisdom of Solomon and the Spirit of the One who said He came into the world not to condemn, but to rescue (John 3:17; 12:47).
The sting of criticism
It’s important for us to think together about how we respond to those who are struggling with issues of emotional and mental health. If we are not careful, we can unintentionally add to their pain by suggesting too quickly that their struggle reflects a lack of faith, prayer, or time in the Word of God.
But what if there are physical factors at work? How many of us understand the intimate connection between body and soul when it comes to trauma and memories that sear the soul like a hot iron? How many of us have the insight or time to deal with those whose hearts and minds have been devastated by pornography, sexual abuse or rape, the frontlines of war, or a long history of domestic violence?
So now, before we continue, what are you thinking?
Have you seen people of faith add weight to overwhelming burdens of mental health?
Have you ever seen prayer permanently solve a mental health problem?
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