Hope  for  mental  HEALTH

Equipping & Multiplication Pastor

Whenever I speak to audiences about the topic of mental health, I ask people to raise their hands if they or someone they know is struggling with their mental health. Invariably, everyone’s hands go up. Unfortunately, this is not surprising considering the statistics. According to the National Association on Mental Illness, one in five adult Americans experience mental illness each year. And the kids are not okay, either. According to the CDC, 44% of high school students felt sad or hopeless every day for two or more weeks in a row in 2021. We came through the COVID pandemic only to face an epidemic of mental health struggles, including depression, anxiety, and loneliness.

I am no mental health expert, but it has touched my family’s lives deeply. I am a passionate advocate for people to experience the hope that comes from a healthy soul abiding in Jesus, because I know what it feels like to be in a dark place, feeling hopeless and alone.

In the summer of 2007, my family and I were in Thailand serving as cross cultural missionaries. During a team meeting, we started with an icebreaker to share a hope and a fear. Simple enough, right? But when my turn came, I said, “I don’t really feel like I have any hope right now, and I fear that I have completely wasted my life.”

Have you ever been in one of those awkward small group moments? This led one of my teammates to suggest I see a Christian counselor. I knew then I couldn’t hide my crippling depression any longer.

You see, my wife and I recently had suffered a miscarriage, which rattled my faith. Then my brother was tragically killed, adding to my grief. These things added to the other stressors of being a missionary and led me into a fog, doing my job mechanically but feeling like a dud at home.

My prayer life consisted of complaints and self-beratement. I felt dread with every impending task and struggled with decision-making. I reached a point where I knew I had to get help for my sake, my family’s sake, and our ministry partners. I made an appointment with a Christian counselor, and was diagnosed with major depressive disorder. This led me into a journey of both therapy and medication, and ultimately healing - but I’ll get to that in a minute.

Some form of depression impacts practically everyone. It can range from occasional sadness to major depressive disorder, which includes overwhelming sadness, purposelessness, and loss of interest in activities. It can be biological, relational, circumstantial, or spiritual. Hopelessness epitomizes depression, creating a crippling and maddening feeling that things will never get better. Depression is remarkably common but should never be considered normal.

I found solace knowing that many of our heroes of the faith, including Moses, Elijah, Jonah, John the Baptist, Paul, and even Jesus, experienced some form of depression. King David, in particular, articulated this struggle and provided us with a model of how to begin to find hope and healing in Psalm 143.

First, begin with prayer (Ps 143:1-4). David says “hear my prayer” and then is honest with his emotions: “I am losing all hope; I am paralyzed with fear.”  It may be as simple as a groaning, but when we pray, we can trust that God hears us and is filled with love and compassion for us.

Next, remember what is true (Ps 143:5-8). David says in this section he remembers what God has done. Today’s psychology is lining up with what the Bible has always said about having a healthy mind: our minds flow in the direction of our strongest thoughts. We actually create neural pathways with our thoughts. Depression creates a rut in your mind that becomes very difficult to crawl out of, but we can create new pathways by thinking new thoughts. David called it remembering good things. Remember that God loves you, right where you are.

Finally, take a courageous step (Ps 143:9-12). David says “show me where to walk”, and then says “I will run to You”. We need to take that courageous next step. It could be actual physical steps to exercise. It could be a relational step to share your feelings with someone you trust. And I recommend considering a professional step by talking to your doctor or a therapist.
 
Ultimately, our most important step is to run to Jesus, who is the lover or our souls, and can bring us out of the darkness and into hope and healing. That’s my story!

I will never forget the feeling of defeat when I took my first dose of antidepressants. But it wasn’t defeat—it was surrender. Defeat leads to darkness, but running to Jesus and surrendering brings life. I prayed, “Lord, I give myself to you. It’s on You now.” The doctor said it could take two weeks to notice a difference. Exactly two weeks later, I woke up and felt as if the clouds had lifted! I had new hope and joy in both my tasks and relationships and experienced a renewal emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I thought I was healed.

However, when I tried to wean off the medication, I experienced another episode and ended up in a puddle of tears under my desk. Initially, I was angry—I wanted to be fully healed. But God showed me that the medication was His daily grace for me, a reminder that when I am weak, He is strong. Each pill provided a moment to thank Jesus for His grace. I continued exercising, sleeping well, maintaining healthy relationships, and remembering His love and faithfulness.
 
Then several years later, with healthy rhythms in place, I felt led by the Lord, and affirmed by my doctor and family, to get off the medication entirely. Praise God I am now med-free and healed from depression, and I give Him all the glory!

Hope For Your Soul
Friends, there is hope for depression and mental health struggles. You don’t have to stay there. Your new normal can be joy and peace in the Holy Spirit. David said, “Show me the way I should walk,” and we too can walk into the way of surrender which leads to hope. Jesus offers rest - and hope - for your soul.