\n
Worse yet, you\u2019d probably accuse me of not trusting God enough or tell me that worry is a sin, so I should just stop worrying. <\/span><\/p>\n Because if I told you I had been feeling numb, lonely or depressed, you might accuse me of not praying enough, reading the Bible enough or applying it correctly.<\/span><\/p>\n So, you might be tempted to think that people who read the Bible every day and trust in Jesus and not drugs certainly shouldn\u2019t be suffering from depression.<\/span><\/p>\n Or you might think of Sinead O\u2019Connor who had a nervous breakdown live on Facebook this month, as she heartbreakingly cried: \u201cI\u2019m all by myself. And there\u2019s absolutely nobody in my life except my doctor, my psychiatrist.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Then, you might think that people who suffer mental anguish don\u2019t have friends, suffered sexual abuse as a child or ripped up pictures of the Pope on SNL<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n But it isn\u2019t true. <\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m here to say mental health issues happen to everyday people\u2014even to believers who are strong in faith and have friends, because it happened to me. <\/span><\/p>\n The bad part was the sense of shame some Christians made me feel about my emotional struggles, but as I discovered how God views healing, I realized it wasn\u2019t my faith that was flawed; it was their views toward mental health and faith. <\/span><\/p>\n Today, I\u2019d like to bust some of those myths and share the truths that transformed my journey of healing into beauty and meaning.<\/span><\/p>\n Last week, Google began addressing the U.S. depression epidemic by announcing a new feature to users who search for \u201cdepression\u201d or \u201cclinical depression\u201d by offering a questionnaire, so you can \u201ccheck if you\u2019re clinically depressed,\u201d to determine whether to seek professional help. <\/span><\/p>\n According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in five people suffer from depression. Think about it. Whether you\u2019re sitting in a small group, at church, laughing with friends on Friday night, odds are you or a friend are suffering emotional pain, even if they appear happy, sociable and capable. It happens in ministry too, whether you\u2019re a pastor, missionary or youth leader.<\/span><\/p>\n Google developed this tool to help users ask questions about mental health in anonymity, without the stigma or shame of talking with a doctor or someone they know.<\/span><\/p>\n But this isn\u2019t the way it ought to be among people of faith, who Jesus calls us to love one another the way He loves us: unconditionally. We are called to be known. But how can we light to the world, if we can\u2019t be light to each other? <\/span><\/p>\n I know it\u2019s easier to hide because I once struggled with anxiety, panic attacks and insomnia.\u00a0 <\/span>I didn\u2019t want anyone to think I was broken, so I kept quiet and prayed it would go away. But God wanted to heal me, not shame me.<\/span><\/p>\n Out of the blue, during the happiest chapter in my life\u2014being a Christian author; happily in love and married with two boys; someone who grew up an optimist in a single-parent family; putting myself through college; loving God, coffee, inductive Bible Studies, friends and ministry\u2014I suddenly started having panic attacks and debilitating insomnia. And I didn\u2019t know why.<\/span><\/p>\n It turns out because I was now grown up and safe, all the painful things I experienced as a child began to surface. Not because my faith was faulty, but because God loved me and it was time to heal what I overcame in the past. My post-traumatic stress disorder therapist told me that a soldier doesn\u2019t experience trauma when he\u2019s brave and fighting on the battlefield. A soldier only experiences panic attacks when he\u2019s finally home\u2014when he is safe to face what was too difficult to process at the time. <\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s actually God\u2019s way of protecting us when hurt, fear or loss is too overwhelming. Our healthy nervous system, designed by God to automatically shield us in the moment, compartmentalizes pain for us, so we can get through hard things\u2014temporarily.<\/span><\/p>\n Except I was confused. PTSD from childhood trauma? I never experienced physical abuse and I\u2019d never been to Iraq or Afghanistan. How can I have PTSD? <\/span><\/p>\n What my therapist said next stopped me in my tracks: \u201c<\/i>Did you know emotional abuse has the same impact as physical abuse? You need to heal from Emotional PTSD.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n It is tough enough combatting the stigma of mental health in a culture that prides itself on entrepreneurship, self-reliance and curating Instagram-perfect lifestyles.\u00a0<\/span>But as a Christian, it was even worse. Speaking up about the emotional pain <\/span>I<\/span> once survived <\/span>or <\/span>was enduring, I ran into a lie often perpetuated in our church culture about mental health and spiritual fitness: If you\u2019re feeling emotionally broken, your faith is weak or broken. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s the opposite. Healing parts of your heart that you\u2019ve once put to the side\u2014whether to survive, to be strong, to avoid pain or take care of others\u2014may be the most powerful act of faith, that God is calling you to make today.<\/span><\/p>\n So, where is the Church\u2019s voice on mental health\u2014other than simplistic Sunday School answers, guilt or silence?\u00a0<\/span>Because the Church is often slow to address realities that the culture is first to voice\u2014whether through arts, film, music and, unfortunately, through stories of pain and tragedy in the news. It\u2019s up to us, the regular, everyday people in the trenches of real life to speak the truth and tell our stories about the work God\u2019s doing in our lives and what He\u2019s saying to us through the Scriptures. <\/span><\/p>\n Because the truth is, you and I are the Church.<\/span><\/p>\n In that spirit, here are the top five myths and truths I\u2019ve uncovered in my books about my journey to find rest, practice soul care and experience the peace and joy that comes from healing.<\/span><\/p>\n 1. Myth: Jesus commanded us, \u201cDo not worry.\u201d If you worry, you are sinning.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Truth: Jesus was encouraging us. There is no need to worry about money<\/i>.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n In Matthew 6:25, Jesus was not issuing a command that makes worry an act of sin when he said, \u201cTherefore, do not worry.\u201d Jesus was giving us the reason why \u201cYou cannot serve God and money\u201d in the previous verse. He was giving us encouragement not to worry about money because God will provide for us, like the birds of the air and flowers in the field. <\/span><\/p>\n So, be at peace. God understands why you worry. He loves you. He is the God of comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles (2 Corinthians 1:4).<\/span><\/p>\n 2. Myth: Trust God and you\u2019ll have peace and joy.\u00a0I<\/span>f you don\u2019t have peace or joy, then you\u2019re not trusting God enough. <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Truth: Emotional honesty is an intimate act of trusting God with your real self,\u00a0instead of hiding how you feel or trying to do or be more.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Jesus says,<\/span> \u201cCome to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, <\/span>and I will give you rest<\/span> for your souls<\/span>.\u201d \u2013 Matthew 11:28<\/span><\/p>\n Notice Jesus doesn\u2019t say, \u201cCome to me strong, cheerful, calm and untroubled.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s the opposite. We\u2019re invited to come to him weary\u2014whether confused, numb, anxious, angry or stressed. Jesus tells us to simply come, as we are. Imperfectly His. <\/span><\/p>\n 3.\u00a0 <\/span>Myth: If you\u00a0read God\u2019s word more, pray more, praise more, give thanks more, rejoice more, etc.\u2014you will have peace that surpasses all understanding.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Truth: Faith is not emotional amnesia. Faith gives us courage to face the brokenness of life and heal from the losses we\u2019ve suffered.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Jesus Himself obeyed, prayed, praised and gave thanks perfectly. Yet He suffered emotional trauma, overwhelmed by impending physical and emotional abuse, abandonment and betrayal:\u00a0<\/span>\u201cMy<\/a>\u00a0soul<\/a>\u00a0is<\/a> deeply troubled,\u00a0overwhelmed with sorrow<\/a>\u00a0to the point of<\/a>\u00a0death.<\/a>\u00a0Going a little farther, He fell to the ground \u2026\u201d \u2013 Mark 14:34, 35<\/span><\/p>\n When the apostle Paul encourages us not to be anxious, but to pray, give thanks and present our requests (Philippians 4:5, 6), he was encouraging us to experience the peace of taking our problems to God, rather than finding peace in our ability to solve them with our own understanding. This wasn\u2019t meant to indict us for experiencing anxiety. <\/span><\/p>\n 4. Myth: The Bible says forget the past and focus on what\u2019s ahead. <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Truth: God remembers the moments that break us. We go back to heal our past with Jesus, to experience His love intimately and recover all parts of our hearts with Him.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my\u00a0tears\u00a0in your\u00a0bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.\u201d \u2013 Psalm 56:8<\/span><\/p>\n When the Apostle Paul said, \u201cF<\/span>orgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,<\/span>\u201d he wasn\u2019t talking about erasing his past. Read Philippians 3. You\u2019ll discover he was referring to forgetting his old way of life as a Pharisee, focusing his worth on how things appeared and spiritual performance. Paul was focused on knowing Jesus intimately and sharing in \u201cHis sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n 5. Myth: You don\u2019t need a therapist. You just need Jesus and God\u2019s Word.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Truth:\u00a0 <\/span>If you look at most instances of healing in Scripture, someone had to step out in faith and take action to go somewhere, see someone or ask for something.\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019ve been hurt, you deserve to take care of yourself now that you\u2019re safe to heal with Jesus. God\u2019s words will<\/i> give you strength to heal and investigate your emotional wounds. Just like God uses skilled doctors to help us heal from physical wounds, God uses psychologists to help us heal our nervous system and process memories that once wounded you, so that you\u2019re free to sleep, rest and access all parts of your heart and your story.<\/span><\/p>\n You story is worth remembering. You are worth valuing.<\/span><\/p>\n Be curious. Let God love you. Take the intimate journey of healing.<\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019ll be amazed by the beauty and be transformed by it.<\/span><\/p>\n More information:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n To learn more about PTSD: https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Psychological_trauma<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n \u2013 To learn about EMDR Therapy: Among the hundreds of types of therapy, the treatment I found most effective and gave quickest relief and results for panic attacks, anxiety and depression, for me personally<\/i>, is what the State Department of Defense uses to process vets from the battlefield (even though I\u2019m not a solider): http:\/\/www.emdr.com\/what-is-emdr\/<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n \u2013 To find a Christian therapist, you may consider: http:\/\/www.aacc.net\/about-us\/<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n \u2013 If you\u2019re in a moment of crisis and you\u2019re in emotional distress right now, don\u2019t hesitate to talk. Call 1-800-273-8255.\u00a0 <\/span>https:\/\/suicidepreventionlifeline.org\/<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thelight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Thumb-40.jpg?resize=300%2C221\")
I find it hard to confess that I was emotionally wounded.\u00a0<\/span>Because you might question my faith.<\/span><\/p>\nGoogle and the Anonymity of Pain<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
Emotional Trauma: Social and Christian Stigma<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
What Keeps You Silent?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
5 Myths and Truths About Mental Health and Spiritual Fitness<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n