I’m struggling with mental health, does God still love me?

Is God disappointed in me? Am I a bad Christian? Why won’t this go away? These are all common questions one wrestles with when navigating mental health challenges and mental illness. Though our world has become increasingly pro-mental health (in terms of talking about it and getting help for it), it can at times feel like a weird gray area within church circles to discuss. But the reality is that if it doesn’t impact you specifically, it definitely impacts someone within your sphere! The National Alliance on Mental Illness reported that:

1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year

1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year

1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year

50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24

Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-14

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All this to say, mental health struggles are real and prevalent! But if we don’t talk about it, we can end up going down rabbit holes in our minds – do I not have enough faith? I’m a leader, are they going to think less of me if I tell them about this? What about the times I know I “should” be joyful, but I can’t escape this distress spiral? Good news. God is reaching out with open arms, inviting you into the only thing that truly satisfies; a relationship with Him. 

Let’s elaborate — Christ has sacrificed His life to be an offering for our sins. Hebrews 10:14 says that because of this, we are now made whole and perfect! But there’s a difference between God perfecting/sanctifying you and you trying to be perfect.God does not expect us to be flawless. That’s impossible. But He does expect us to trust Him as we grow into the image and conformity of Christ. 

Perfection, in our own strength, is a losing battle. As Romans 3:23 reminds us, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Whether we have struggled with mental health or not, without Christ the reality is that we are under the condemnation of God, being unable to access the true healing and freedom we need in God."  If we strive for perfection or pretend to feel a way that we don’t, then we aren’t leaving room to surrender and give over what we’re holding onto to God. Think of it like a boulder — when we hand it over to God, our hands are freed to receive the lighter load He wants to give us (Matthew 11:28). A load of peace, of gratitude, of comfort. We cannot fully trust God if we cannot be honest with ourselves about where we are at! 

There is no shame in struggling with mental health. In fact, there is no shame at the foot of the cross at all, and mental health is not an exception to that truth. Romans 8:1 says, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”. Again, Jesus died so that we could be whole in Him. This means that no matter how broken we are, no matter how scary it gets in our minds, our identity is no longer in our illness and hardship. Rather, it is in the truth of who He says we are. If God Himself is speaking wholeness over us, then mental health and mental illness do not have the final say!

Depression is real. Anxiety is real. Trauma is real. Addictions are real. OCD is real. Eating disorders are real. The list goes on — and though we may try to hide these things from others, we can’t hide them from God. He knows your mind better than you do. We need not be afraid of what He thinks, for 1 John says that there is no fear in perfect love — the perfect love of our heavenly Father.

What does this love look like in times of distress? It looks like God carrying you when you can’t carry yourself. When the depression is oppressive and feels like a tidal wave crushing you, God carries you to the next day, where His mercies are new every morning. We are not meant to do it all. God has already done everything. In Romans 8:32, Paul reminds us, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”. And “all things” includes a sound mind. And when we can’t do anything, His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Nothing we go through is permanent, and He is faithful to deliver us (Psalm 23, Psalm 91).

This is truly good news, because if you’ve struggled with mental health challenges for any amount of time, you’ve realized that we really can’t fully fix ourselves. However, we can come authentically to the altar and swap distress for peace as we surrender our efforts to Him and trust Him to deliver us, whether it’s immediate or not. There is peace in acceptance. Jesus did not pretend to feel “okay” about dying on the cross — He cried tears of blood in Gethsemane from the stress of it all. But he accepted His reality and trusted God through it because He knew the goodness of God. Our Prince of Peace, Son of Suffering, walked in peace and pain to the cross. And God did deliver Him in the end — His suffering was not in vain, and neither is yours. We may not know why it’s happening, we may not know when it will change — but we do know that God works all things for His glory and for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28) — we can trust Him!

God LOVES you. You are His prized possession (James 1:18). Trust Him to lead you, and if you don’t trust Him, tell Him. He will not fall off His throne. It is better to wrestle with God than it is to suppress your doubts. Wrestling with God shows you still care and want the breakthrough — and like Jacob, He will bless you for it (Genesis 32:22-30). Ask Him for clarity and next steps; counseling, medication, treatment and small groups are all viable God-given tools for us to use to pursue healing and freedom. In being authentic with God, we can get the clarity we actually need for freedom, whether it’s healing in a moment or submitting to a process. Both are holy work, and both are holy miracles from the Lord Himself.

We will never be perfect on this earth. But Jesus came to set the captives free and to tell those in bondage that the time of freedom has come. This is true for you today. He is your healer, your Savior, your comforter and there is nothing that could ever separate you from His love. Take heart friends, God is faithful.

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If you are currently in a crisis regarding suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Center immediately at 1-800-273-8255.

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