This post is all about Christian mental health.
Christian mental health is one of the biggest and most important topics the church and the Christian community should focus on. Many of us are depressed, anxious, confused, and hurt but stay silent. Why? As the body of Christ, we oftentimes do not hold space for these types of emotions and problems in God. We brush it off and tell people that they shouldn’t be feeling this way if they are really in God, but this is not true. Faith is not feeling. If you are a Christian, and struggle with your mental health, please do not listen to the naysayers or judgement of others. You are still worthy, and still loved by God. Your mental health matters.
Here are five ways to take care of your mind in Christ.
5 Life-Changing Christian Mental Health Tips
1. Tell him all of your emotions- big or small
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” -Philippians 4:6
“Casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you” – 1 Peter 5:7
Prayer is one of the greatest weapons we have. It is something that God created himself as a clear and straight channel of communication that is directly between him and whoever wants to talk to him. God tells us in his word that he hears our prayer and that nothing is too small or too big for him to handle. All of our worries, concerns, anxiety, and stress can be taken care of if we just give it to him and leave it with him. No matter what it is, if it’s on your mind, Jesus cares about it. Tell it to him and he will take care of the rest. This is where faith and trust come in. We have to believe that God hears us, and he will deliver us in his own perfect time, and not a second too late.
2. Section out alone time with God
“And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.” Matthew 14:23 NKJV
“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Matthew 6:6 NKJV
The next major thing that can help improve Christian mental health is spending time alone with God. I want to emphasize the “alone” part because this is where you truly get to know God for yourself. Sure, you can experience him in church or in a large bible study, but that deep and personal relationship is built by you praying, seeking, reading, and worshipping alone with him. I find that when I forget to spend time with God, everything falls apart. My mood is off, I am easily irritated or discouraged. However, when I do spend time with God, I find more peace and joy in my days and a greater introspection than before.
If you are struggling to find a way to help better your mental health as a Christian, try to section out thirty minutes to an hour of quiet time alone with God. Start wth prayer and gradually start singing some worship songs. You can then open up a journal or notebook alongside your Bible and read God’s word and ask for him to speak to your heart. You can end it with some meditation on the verses or chapters you have read and begin to reflect. The final step is to pray and close it out with gratitude for the moments you spent with him.
Remember, you get to know someone better by spending time with them more and talking with them more. The same is with God.
3. Stress and worry are not from God
“Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”
Matthew 6:30-32 NKJV
When we feel overwhelmed, confused, or stressed out, we must do a full stop. Worrying about your bills, your job, your school, or even your family is not something God wants us to do. If we trust God and give him all of our problems, our worry and stress are a form of disrespect to him. It is saying to God that we do not trust that he is capable of handling it. God knows we have things that are important to us, and he knows the things we need. If we surrender everything to him, God is fully capable of answering our prayers right on time.
Instead of worrying, be patient. Find faith and trust that God has everything under control. This is one of the benefits of being saved and kept by God! We are fully taken care of, and provided for, and we do not have to stress and worry like others who do not have Jesus with them. After all, he is the creator of literally everything in the entire universe; do you not think he can take care of you?
4. Your heart matters more than your performance
“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”” I Samuel 16:7 NKJV
“‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ” Matthew 15:8-9 NKJV
“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”” John 4:24 NKJV
As Christians, we oftentimes can get caught up in the performance aspect of our religion. We may feel the pressure of always having to be perfect or sinless to the world and upkeep an image of holiness that others expect from us. This can be even more true if you have a title or role in the church. When you have others looking at you or depending on your work as a man or woman of God, it can feel overwhelming to appear like you have it all together all the time. This stress can cause us to undergo a burnout and cause us to feel completely exhausted and depleted. The good news is Jesus does not require this from you.
Jesus looks at our heart. We don’t have to be happy or perfect all the time. In our brokenness, and in our weakness, that is where Jesus comes in! We are human and cannot be perfect. No one in the Bible is perfect besides God himself. We are all moving towards perfection. In fact, Jesus says to come to him with your imperfections, your failures, the things that are shameful or not so pleasing to others and give it all to him!
We do not have to pray the greatest prayers or preach the best message to belong to God and to be a Christian. Take rest in the comfort God provides when he says to come as you are. All of your good, bad, and ugly days included. We will make mistakes, we will sometimes lose our way, and that is okay. The most important thing is to keep going and moving towards God. We strive towards holiness and die every day to our fleshly/sinful nature.
Do not let other people’s judgment condemn you. It is God who has called you. He gives us grace and mercy after all. And I feel like I must add a disclaimer here because I know there will be someone who might think this but as Christians we do not sin purposefully. Many people misuse and abuse the grace of God and proclaim that because he forgives us, we can sin. Paul says it best, “Should we sin, that grace may abound? God forbid.” (Romans 6:1). We should not continue in sin. But if we sin by accident, we can go boldly before the throne of God and find forgiveness in him.
5. Comparison is not from God
“Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.” Psalms 37:1-5 NKJV
The entire chapter of Psalms 73
A big thing in our community is comparison, and it weighs heavily on our hearts. We wonder if we are not doing enough, both in Christ and in the world. We look at certain pastors and ministers, and think “Oh my God, how can I ever get as far or be as great as they are? There’s no way!” We can even compare ourselves to sinners sometimes and wonder why we are not as successful or blessed like they are. We think, well we are God’s children, we should be blessed more than them, right? Yes, and no.
You see, we are more blessed than them. My favorite psalms is Psalms 73, where David told an entire story of him worrying about the success of sinners. He saw that they prospered so greatly in the world and had so much pride and arrogance against God. But they quickly faded away, and their riches with them.
It is important to know as Christians, we have something that lasts forever. Salvation is much greater than any gold or any house, car, job, or worldly achievement. This life at its best is still temporary, fleeting, and shallow. It will never be enough or satisfying on its own. Do not envy the wicked or the unjust for the things they have. You never know what they had to do to get them. Being content in God is key. God will give you what he knows is best, and in the end, he is enough.
And if we are saved in Christ, it doesn’t matter who is seemingly “doing better” than you in God. We each have our own calling and our own purpose. Find your special, ordained purpose in God (whatever that may be — big or small) and do it to the best of your ability! Just like I stated before, your heart is worth more than your performance. It doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing. Focus on God, focus on getting your heart and life right with him, and at the end of the day, that is all that matters.
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28 NKJV
This post was all about Christian mental health.
