According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness in the United States 1 and 5 adults experience mental illness each year, 1 and 6 youth experience mental disorders each year, and 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24.
You can have faith in God and go to therapy. Everyone has mental health and we need to pay attention to it. Therapy is investing in you; it doesn’t mean you’re a bad Christian. You're the only you that you have, the longest relationship, and the best thing you can do is take care of you. Jesus is our number one healer but just as He provides medical doctors for physical health He also provides us with therapists and counselors for our mental health. Therapy and counseling is a gift from Jesus.
In the church there is a stigma when it comes to seeing a therapist. Some Christians think that you should only rely on God and His power, we don’t need anything else.
Some may think going to a therapist or taking medication for mental health issues is weak faith. But it is dangerous to think that way. The bible says we also need each other along the way. God may be leading you into joining a support group, individual therapy, talking to friends, or taking medication. It can save your life. God wants you to be whole. If it takes therapy to make you whole and what God made you to be and you having a peaceful mind.
Then it’s okay to have Jesus and a therapist too!
If you are longing for healing for mental health seek God in prayer first with an opened heart and mind. Then seek counseling wherever God leads you. Getting help is not a sign of weakness it’s a sign of courage.
Photo by Aaron Burden from Unsplash
