When You’re Not Okay: A Conversation About Mental Health Part 1

Summary

In Part I of a two-part series, TA reminds us that Jesus Himself felt deep sadness, agony, and distress while remaining fully surrendered and pleasing to God, and he identifies five choices to make if you’re struggling with mental health.

Key Takeaways

• Choose to feel (Job 3:20-26; Ezekial 36:26-27; Matthew 9:36; John 11:33; Mark 14:33). Many operate with a narrow understanding of the gospel. We think that the gospel is primarily for unbelievers because it is the hope for salvation from sin and eternal punishment in hell. But Jesus lived, died, and rose from the dead not just to save us from punishment but to save us to a new life, to conform us to Christ by His Spirit, through new hearts with new capacities to desire and experience emotions to the glory of God. There are times when our feelings fail us, of course. But it’s important to see that Jesus felt deep sadness and agony and distress to the point of death, all the while remaining fully surrendered and pleasing to God. Part of becoming more like Jesus, then, is growing in our ability by the power of His Spirit to feel godly sadness and agony and distress, all the while remaining surrendered to and dependent upon God.
• Choose to tell. In Christ-like humility, it takes a stronger person to admit that everything is not okay than to pretend like everything is when it isn’t. Remember, Jesus lived, died, and rose from the dead to save us into a family where we can be fully known and fully loved. The church is God’s gift to us so that we can walk through dark seasons with others, others who have been comforted by God so they can comfort others. Through gathering with the church week in and week out, we can be reminded of and remind others of the hope-giving promises of the gospel as it powerfully applies to our lives.
• Choose to fight. Not only do we have the family of God, but we have the power of God. One of the beauties of knowing Christ is that the same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in us through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit empowers us to fight. How can we fight?
  • Pray and read God’s Word (Psalm 42:5-6a)
  • Journal
  • Express Gratitude (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
  • Sleep (Psalm 3:5-6)
  • Exercise
  • Regulate Eating
• Choose to go (Romans 8:20-23; James 1:17). There are a lot of people in our city who love Jesus and who are professionally trained to help people navigate the complexities of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and OCD in a way that doesn’t replace Jesus but draws that person closer to Jesus. There are times when there is something physiologically wrong, like the brain and body are not working how they are supposed to be working, Medication, prescribed by the hands of wise, experienced, and discerning medical professionals who love Jesus can actually be a gift from God for those struggling deeply and for a prolonged period of time.
• Choose to live. When life is painful, uncomfortable, and even unbearable, it can become very difficult to see or think clearly, and what happens is we begin to believe lies. The first lie is that nobody cares. The second lie is that suicide will end the pain. The third lie is that things will never change. Life will always feel blinding. It will always be painful, uncomfortable, and even unbearable. In these seasons, there are three truths we need to know:
  • First, God wants you to live and so do we (John 10:10)
  • Second, suicide doesn’t end the pain, it just passes it on to someone else.
  • Third, what you feel today will not be what you feel forever (Psalm 116).

Discussing and Applying the Sermon

• Meditate on the substitutionary life, obedience, suffering, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ, and think about His grief, righteous anger, etc. How does He help you in your grief and sorrow?
• Is it possible that part of becoming more like Jesus is growing in our ability by the power of his Spirit to feel deep sadness and agony and distress to the point of death all the while remaining fully surrendered and pleasing to God?
• How does the new covenant in Christ by His Spirit provide the resources you need to change and have hope in a difficult season of suffering?
• If you’re struggling, is there someone you need to tell so that they can help and pray with you (e.g., someone at church, your CG, an elder)?
• Identify your feelings, whether it is anger, anxiety, grief, compassion, joy, etc. and then ask Jesus, “Did You ever feel like this?” If so, “How did You respond?” Search the Scripture to see how Jesus responded for us and our salvation. Finally, ask, “In Christ by the power of His Spirit, how should I respond?” If you want to reflect more on the emotional life of Christ, read this classic article by B. B. Warfield.