W H Y
Mental health is important to me, because how we live life and how we experience life matters. God gives us a few short years here on earth to both glorify Him and enjoy Him, but to do so with passion and purpose amidst our natural tendency to get tripped up, question, and quit, really is a journey. Our mental and emotional state is often at odds with the very mission that we're designed to fight for. Add in the fact that we are born into families and structures that people outside of ourselves created, and we quickly see that our ability to react wisely, cope healthily, and walk the narrow path that God invites us too feels anything but possible. Yet, the second you begin to do some digging to better understand where you came from, process how you actually feel, and vacation with God to understand why He created us to begin with, the more we can see the bigger picture of both our existence and what an objectively flourishing and healthy life truly is.
M Y S T O R Y
What's my story with life, God, and mental health? I believe God welcomed me into His family when I was just a kid. I saw and understood the problem of brokenness in the world and surrendered my life to God and His plan for living, because by His grace and Word I saw that only He was "the way, the truth, and the life." Fast forward ahead to age 28, though, and I was beginning to catch a trend that even though I had a relationship with God and clarity of His mission, I had far less emotional stability and well-being than realized. Through the help of a friend challenging me to see my own "issues" in the dating relationship I was in, and through the help of a co-worker to see that I had a terrible inability to experience either emotional highs or emotional lows, I began to piece together the fact that there was another way to live. Through the help of 8 or 9 counseling sessions, a few key podcasts, the book of Psalms, and a lot of really good heart-to-heart conversations with meaningful people, a whole new realm of experiencing life was unlocked. It was amazing to see how the simplicity of acknowledging feelings, admitting past hurts, and studying my family tree could lead to so much reconciling work in my life. (Thanks be to God!).
N O W
Today, I get to walk alongside people who are in many different places and phases of life. Some are wrestling with big doubts while others are fighting against pretty big lies they've believed their whole lives. It's amazing to see God use honest conversations, simple tools, and His sovereign hand to bring restoration to people who didn't believe He could or would. To hear people's story and to play the tiniest role in encouraging them to see life in a fuller way has been an unexpected blessing and true honor. Approaching mental health and emotional health are both intimidating, but I believe God has formed us with great intention to experience both. That said, let's not miss out on these vital dynamics of life solely because of some lingering age-old belief that "feelings" or "mental health" really don't matter. Because they do.