Ep 19 | Navigating Mental Health Struggles Through Christian Faith

So , as you may have noticed to all of the dozens of listeners out there is that we took a break from a podcast and if you don't know , just know that every Sunday at 12 , our podcast goes out , goes live for you people , and last Sunday did it Jake it didn't , and no one talked to me about it , and I don't know if that's a good or bad thing , no ,

they could have . They needed a break just as much as we did .

We are going to talk about mental illness and how it affects our lives and maybe this can help how we you know , we give coping options , how we handle it and how we serve Christ , even through mental illnesses . So , jake , do you want to just kind of start us off ?

You just can't go very far to deal with this . And the real truth is is mental health has talked about so much more now than it was when I was a teenager which in my opinion , is a really good thing and I think you can even find negativities by the amount of times it's discussed .

But we're not trying to speak to you as if we know every single thing about the topic , but we do have some scripture and we do have our own experiences . We've been through that , I think would definitely help us . And you know , when somebody tells me I know how you feel . In fact I said that yesterday , I know how you feel .

We don't actually know how anybody feels .

We may be able to identify with something that they're feeling , but every person is different in their very own way and everybody deals with things differently , depending on your background or what you're going through at the moment , whether you had some type of situational thing that has led to why you feel the way you feel , or maybe there are some long term

impacts of what you've been through in your childhood or or even an adulthood that is lent to the struggle . And for me personally , I've dealt with different forms of mental illness , but the most prevalent in my life is anxiety , and another another word you could use is worry , just paralyzing worry .

And what made it so frustrating to me was when you're going through something but you don't know what it is that you're going through and you can't make anything make sense in your own mind . And I'll never forget just going through this feeling of why can I not catch my breath right now ? Why am I feeling so stressed out ?

And what made it even more confusing for me was I didn't have to be going through something quote unquote stressful to fill .

That way I could just be sitting at home and nothing going on at all , and all of a sudden I feel like my heart is just racing and I feel very concerned and worried , and then that lending to the struggles of wanting to go to sleep at night , because then I was scared , I was going to , you know , not be able to breathe .

And I remember thinking , man , maybe I'm having a heart attack , maybe I'm having some issue and go into the doctor and discovering well , jake , you know , we ran an EKG on you , We've done a stress test , we've done all the things you do not have any heart problems and to start learning what it means to suffer from anxiety and one of the best ways I've heard

it termed and if you're an , I'm a sports person and people have to bear with that sometimes but one of our deacons said having anxiety is like you're receiving the opening kickoff at a football game . Everybody at that point of the game their hearts racing because there's so much anticipation about what's about to happen .

But what if you feel that way in all circumstances and you can't get your mind under control ? Then that's a suffer , that's a struggle from anxiety . So I mean , I kind of just gave you a little overview of anxiety . But you know , maverick , has this been ? Has mental health been an issue for you personally , for anybody in your life , or how ?

What would you say towards mental health ?

So I suffer from depression and it has a fancy name but really it's just high functioning depression and what that means is like , like , like Jake's talking about , the anxiety is just living everyday life , being a functioning adult , but it's just like . I guess I don't know what it's like to be normal . It's the easy way to put it .

So I started suffering this ever since believe it or not , I was eight years old and there's there's a longer testimony about it and if you want to hear that , that's again . This is to provide clarity and come talk to us . And come talk to us so we can talk to you more and more about this again .

Me and Jake we love coffee and so when I became a Christian , this was the thing that like , okay , that's the easiest thing . Like God , like take this away , take this away .

You know , I found joy in Christ and so like it's , it's , it's been great , it's been fantastic , but yet there is still this thorn in my side that I still deal with and , you believe it or not , the statistics . I believe it is still to this day three out of every four pastors suffer From depression .

You know , and it's just , it's just a crazy thing so that you can always be praying about , you can always be praying for , you can always check up on people . And yeah , one last Bible story before I turned it back to you . Jake is a good way to put it in a Bible sense of what at least my depression feels like is .

I think of Elijah , and we love talking about the story where Elijah calls down fire from God and God provides the fire , and this Alter and this great story of just how God used Elijah and showed His own power , you know .

Well then , the story right after that is Elijah gets afraid of a woman , believe it or not , and he runs and he's asking God , just kill me , kill me now , like I don't want to live here , and God just like hey , go to sleep .

And then Elijah wakes up and there's food and basically , in that story , god is comforting Elijah , even though Elijah just got to see God do mighty , mighty work . Literally , a day later he's like God , I don't even want to be alive anymore . But God is so Gracious and merciful and and graceful that he's like hey , I'm gonna comfort you kind of through this .

So that's what my walk has been like , why I struggle with depression and I still pray for it to go away all the time . I want you to understand like you can suffer mental illness and be a Christian , because , even if God doesn't take it away , because he can show his love for us and how he comforts us .

It definitely was weird when I was younger and I don't know if it was just in my own environment or if it was just weird in general , because there is a little bit of a Stereotype that people in leadership are supposed to just be completely okay all the time . Yeah and I Would love to believe that that's true , but it's just absolutely not .

There's just no possible way . And and where I find a lot of my Peace is not in the misery

of others . That sounds awful , but into looking at the scriptures , and if you read into a lot of people in the scriptures , you can see that they suffered from whether it was mild or extreme , forms of depression . Yeah , no absolutely .

I mean the , the Psalms , literally , are written from a place of depression and then in the next chapter , euphoria , kind of , like you said , with Elijah , one day he sees the greatest miracle that Anybody had ever seen in their lifetime , and then , and then he's running from a woman and he wants to die .

You know , and I really think we can identify with that as a culture and as a society , and I have a lot of empathy towards people that struggle , not just kids but adults .

You know that the pandemic , when so many people were isolated for so long , I really believe that that you , that the people that that did a number on more than anyone were senior adults , people that maybe live alone , and I think we're still unfolding what the impact of that was .

And a verse that I read often when I think of anxiety , not being able to turn off my mind , not being able to stop worrying , is John 14 , 27 , or . Jesus is speaking specifically to his disciples and he says Peace I leave with you . My peace I give to you . I do not give to you as the world gives . Don't let your heart be troubled or fearful .

So maybe you suffer from fear , or you're like me and you suffer from worry , anxiety . You know Jesus is not speaking metaphorically . He's telling his followers I have come to this world to find people who are anxious and fearful and depressed , and I am trying to supply them peace , I am giving them peace .

Another verse and kind of like Maverick said , I could tell a really long story that I won't tell Philippians 4 , 6 , and 7 . He literally writes Paul says be anxious , be worried about nothing . And I get really angry when somebody tells me not to worry . But that's not what he's saying .

He's saying don't be worried , because you can take everything and let your requests be known to God . And he tells us , in the peace of God , what surpasses understanding , what surpasses comprehension , will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus .

So earlier I said I think it's great that we talk so much about mental health , but there are some negatives and what I've discovered , and there are people that have extreme cases , and this is not what this is about . I'm talking about people that are maybe they're they're functioning through these issues when we we use these things almost as a crutch .

Yes like I can't get up and go to work because I'm depressed . Well , I understand that it might be hard for you to go to work , but but that's not a good thing , you know . Or or just or just using depression and anxiety as if we can't function in life . But you know , I can't teach my children that that storms in life are not going to come .

I mean , I can't create a perfect utopian experience for my children because I have not lived through a perfect utopian experience . What do you think about all that ?

smile .

Well , if you don't know about Robin Williams or you maybe just heard the name is he committed suicide pretty , pretty late in life and no one knew that he suffered from depression , suffered from a mental illness , and why I think that ties into what we're talking about here is , yes , we need to be functioning people and we need to be out there in the world ,

because , really , if I feel depressed , you know with the exact opposite . Or do you know what I need to not do ? I need to not stay home and in bed , and you know all this stuff . And is there cases where I need to find rest ?

And you know all this stuff Absolutely , but it's not rest into not doing anything , or , at least for me , is we need to almost take the Robin Williams aspect to a degree of no going out and and being with people and spreading joy and showing the love of Christ helps us . Where Robin Williams failed is no one knew and he didn't bring that into the light .

You know , I saw my ministry flourish when I was , when I began to be more open about this because for the longest time I didn't talk about it . I didn't need to talk about it , I didn't want to talk about it . I remember when I was one of the first times I brought it up .

I brought it up to youth who was struggling with it and he goes oh my goodness , I didn't even know . Like that you could understand . And then boom , it opened up this gateway where we could just talk and you got to help him through and I got to share a little bit of what I'm sharing with y'all of how to be a Christian through mental illness .

We can use our stumbling blocks , we can use our storms , we can use our trials to show how great our God is through it all .

There are issues that we are going to deal with , whether it's a circumstantial , but then there's also issues in our mind that will that can take captive of us and can grab ahold of us .

And instead of running away from the pain which a lot , of , a lot of us can do and a lot of people do if we run away from the pain , we might be losing an incredible message of what the Lord is trying to teach us . And you know , I cannot stop storms from coming in my life , but I can decide where I find my protection .

So if I'm going to suffer from anxiety and wishing it was gone and praying that it'll be gone and maybe it will be , the reality is , until that day comes , I can hide in the Word of God .

I can memorize specific scriptures Philippians 4 , 6 , and 7 is in my holster when moments come and I literally just say it over a situation that I'm facing because it's a reminder . But then when you start to think about peace , you know Colossians 3.15 says to let the peace of God rule in our hearts . Well , how do I let God's peace rule in my heart ?

Well , I've got to understand that God's sovereign , that he's in charge , that he's , that even in my distresses , that God is still God .

And the way I do that is I dive into his Word and I immerse myself in understanding his Word and being around other people that are going to encourage me and realize that for the Christian , we have been supplied with the ability to overcome whatever we're dealing with .

But one of the things that we've been supplied and I wish people would have told me this there are really good godly Christian counselors out there . Yes , very much so . I mean , I remember not being able to deal with my issues through reading the Bible , reading a book , talking to my church friends , and I finally had to call a counselor .

And I met with a counselor weekly for about three to four months and then eventually got to where it was a once a month type of thing . And now that's where I'm at . I'm not in a position where I need to to weekly go to a counselor . But I need . I need that monthly connection and when things get difficult I'm not afraid to go back to that .

But I found a Christian counselor , a person that identifies with Christ , identifies with Scripture , and that's littered throughout . You know , you've got to be very careful about who you let speak into your life . So I would encourage you if you're at a place where you're going , I need to talk to somebody .

If you'll call our office , even if we don't specifically know who you can call , we will help you do some research . We've had people in our church do that and we will help make that happen for you . And we won't tell anybody . We'll keep it completely confidential . But you know there's counseling . But what are other ?

What are other parts that can help us Maverick , like through these issues instead of internalizing it ?

Okay , when Peter goes out of the boat , it's not like I mean , I don't know about you , but I've never walked on water before , so I'm assuming Peter's never walked on water before God doesn't calm the storm , before Peter gets out of the boat and walks on water , he doesn't make it like glass and make it easy for him to walk .

You know , no , peter's like , hey , if that's really you , let me come up on the water . And Jesus says , well , come on . And in that moment Peter's not focused on the storm , he is focused on the faith that he has in his Lord , in Christ Jesus , and he's walking towards him , focusing on his face .

Peter doesn't start to sink till he looks to his left , looks to his right and realizes , oh , the storm is still going on , you know , and like that is like why this applies to almost everything in our Christian walk , man , like this applies to mental illness , maybe even better , because it's like you need people in your life to keep you

focused on Jesus . Like I said , I've I've high functioning depression as a fancy name , so it means literally throughout my life . That will always be a part of every single day . Does that mean I need to dwell on my life ? I mean I'm not going to dwell on my life , I'm not going to dwell on it . Does that mean I need to dwell on it ?

Does that mean I need to look to my left and realize that there's a storm going on ? No , I need to look to Jesus , who provides so much more . You know you hear this time or you hear the saying all the time , and I'm not going to dive too much into it , but it's like man . God doesn't give you anything more than you can handle .

Well , what I , what I envision that as , is like God gives me more than I can humanly handle , but as long as on my right hand side or he's in the center of my life . Realistically , then , of course not , because God can handle it all , and so it's giving that over to God . And , yes , a counselor can help you Keep your eyes focused on God .

There's a thing called biblical counseling , like if you come in our office at Jake or me or any of our ministers can provide to an extent of . We can help you look to Christ and see how God can be glorified through it all . And it's like Ephesians 5 , verse 1 through 21 , where it talks about being imitators of God .

There's a section in there where it's like man , bring these things . When you bring darkness into light , guess what happens ? It becomes light . And when we bring our problems , when we bring our mental illness and I use the example of the invitation every single Sunday you see people pray at the altar .

What they're doing is they're bringing things to light and they're giving it to God . Believe it or not , you can give your mental illness to God and that and , like I said , counselors can help , we can help , your friends can help , your community can help , your family can help , but ultimately , what we're helping you to do is give it to God . Amen .

But can I tell you that while that is a helpful tool to help me , I don't find all of . I don't feel like that's the thing that cures my anxiety , as much as it's another tool that is there . And you know , not everybody has that type of anxiety and some people have worse anxiety than I do . Going back to , we're all different , we're all struggling .

But that's something that I need , that helps me . But if I didn't have good brothers in Christ that I could talk to , to know that I'm not alone ? And y'all , sometimes it's that simple . We just need to know we're not alone . We don't need everybody to fix our problem , we just need to know we're not by ourselves , and that is an incredible blessing .

So I know this always seems like the answer , because it honestly usually is the answer the word of God , good Christian people , good Christian people that are in professions that God called them to , to be able to help people . There are so many good qualities of life that are right there that we have to be willing .

But , friend , if we isolate ourselves from people and it doesn't mean you have to talk to everybody , it doesn't mean you have to get on a podcast and tell people you have- anxiety yeah . It just means learning to set ourselves free from certain types of bondage and I .

One of the things that helped me more than anything to make sense of some of my mental struggles was I read a book called Strengthening the Soul of your Leadership by Ruth Haley Barton , and she used Moses as an example of being accused of a crime and having to run out of Egypt and go live out in the wilderness for 40 years .

He got super comfortable out there in the wilderness . He had a family , had a profession , and then God called him to go back to the place where all of his anxieties and fears existed . Yeah , why would God put us through that ? I mean , we live in a self-help , self-care world . Why would I go to a place that is hard if I stay here and I can feel okay ?

And she wrote in the book that sometimes God will send us out to the wilderness so that when we're leading people back into their wilderness , somebody was there first .

Yeah , and when I read that it was like the Lord caused a firework to go off in my head that sometimes God will let us go through some of these struggles because he wants to use us to help others in their struggles . And if that's something you're dealing with now , there is purpose to your Mental health struggles . There's always a purpose . It's not .

You're not left by yourself . But the last thing I'll say , because I got preachy too , is you know , I use Philippians 4 , 6 and 7 , but verse 8 and , honestly , philippians 4 , verses 6 through 9 are very good mental health verses .

But he says finally , brothers and sisters , whatever is true , whatever is honorable , whatever is just , whatever is pure , whatever is lovely , whatever is commendable , if there's any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy , dwell on these things . Dwell means to stay Focused on these things .

So I encourage you , if you're listening to this and you have Really not spent time thinking about what are the things in my life that are of God , that are , that are that fall under the verse 8 of chapter 4 , get out a note card and write down what those things are .

Maybe it's Sitting down and reading a good book , maybe it's going on a hike , maybe it's going to the movies , something , some things that give you joy . You know like for me it would be to go to the world series Not possible but certain things that give me joy .

If you write those down , those are things that God has given you and you can go to those you know , write down simple things like walking outside in my Yard and looking at the sunrise . That is something God gave you that you can use to be able to deal with some of your fears , anxieties , the struggles , and I feel like we're trying to .

We're trying to accomplish so much in a short amount of time , which means we're gonna need to do more podcasts on this . But if , if you walk away from this , just hearing a lot of people struggle with these type of issues , you're not alone , mm-hmm , but don't isolate yourself .

Talk to somebody you trust , I Really think that you're gonna find a lot more freedom than you would if you kept it to yourself . And it is a long road , but I have discovered that it's a beautiful road because the Lord uses these things to shape us and mold us .

So the world has a lot of lessons on mental health , and while some of them are wonderful , Be reminded that God uses everything for a purpose and for a reason , and we've got to be willing to seek him out on those things .

no . I think it's good a little longer one , but I think it's worth it . I think it's good because , like Jake said , I mean I mean many , many people struggle with this , many , many people struggle with this and guess what ? You can be a Christian and struggle . That might be the .

The whole Christian motto is like hey , I'm struggling , but I got a God who doesn't struggle and I'm so tired .