As we all know, the past few years have been extremely difficult. With the more common occurrence of mental conditions already on the rise before COVID-19, the need for psychological counseling has further increased following the pandemic’s despair, fear, and separation.
With that said, in times of emotional difficulty, many people turn to the church or personal religion for comfort and direction. However, despite the presence of mental health issues, many Christian churches still have a stigma connected to mental disorders.
The prevalent culture of silence, combined with false expectations and wrong attitudes, frequently makes struggling believers feel embarrassed, condemned, and alone in their battle with a mental condition.
Moreover, the inability to recognize how the Gospel is closely related to the nature of the brain and heart is a significant element that leads to religious communities not being receptive to accepting mental health and mental illness as genuine concerns.
Beginning in the book of Genesis, mental health and the roots of mental disease are intertwined throughout the Bible. One terrible outcome of this conflict was Abel’s death at the arms of his sibling Cain.
Unfortunately, the Bible does not explain our original parents’ feelings after learning of Abel’s murder. However, because sadness is a natural part of the grieving process, they most certainly suffered some melancholy.
Other examples of what we would term mental disease may be found throughout the Bible. Likewise, following the spectacular display of God’s might on Mount Carmel, Elijah replied to Jezebel’s threat of death with worry and sadness.
Overall, we cannot deny that decades of immoral, harmful thinking and lifestyle have resulted in pain in many of us. In the same way that Jesus came to provide sight to the blind, a qualified counselor must assist us in seeing ourselves as we are.
With that said, the life of Jesus and His love for fallen humanity fulfills the Bible. The message of God’s love is as healing now as it was centuries ago for people whom Jesus touched.