Mental Health and Faith

We’re talking about Mental Health at Park Lake.  Last week we tackled Depression, this week we’ll take on Anxiety, and finally we’ll finish up with Healing.  Its interesting how much the church has ignored the topic of Mental Health, as if Mental Health and Faith don’t mix.  For someone to feel free in a church setting to be honest and open about issues such as Depression would be like my daughter Hannah feeling comfortable swimming in a pool without a floaty or the side of the pool near by, as you can see by her picture here it isn’t an easy going experience.

Mental Health is a difficult topic to be sure.  Having to overcome the stigma of someone muttering to themselves as they stomp down the street is a challenge, but in reality the topic is like having a big gorilla in the room that everyone is trying to ignore.  If everyone has enough faith we wouldn’t have mental issues, but people of faith do have mental issues, and it is comforting to see that scripture is honest about the topic.

From Job to David to the Disciples we see depression, anxiety, and all kinds of irrational behavior.  The concept that great men and women of the faith lived lives void of dark days is in itself “crazy” and just plain wrong.  Part of our human nature is wrapped up in emotions, and unfortunately those emotions get us in trouble.

What I think is dangerous is ignoring the issue completely and sitting in a church service, feeling the dark void grow larger in your life, and thinking you’re the only one who has felt that way.  Guess what, our churches are filled with people with mental issues, and we need to be honest with the topic and shed light on the role our faith and God’s Word play in healing and recovery.

Jesus still is in the business of healing, but its important to be honest with what we’re suffering from.  We need to be able to look to our faith and find answers, but that can only happen if the church is honest with the problem.