There are some things we are really comfortable talking about with each other.

We’ll discuss the weather, complain about the economy, and talk about marriage or family issues without thinking much about it.

But have you ever asked somebody, “How are you?” and they actually told you how they really were? Somebody says, “Honestly, I’m not doing very well mentally right now,” and suddenly you get awkward.

We’ve got to do better.

We need to understand that God is concerned about our mental health just as surely as He is concerned about our physical and spiritual health. Statistically, nearly one in four American adults can personally identify with some kind of mental-health struggle, which means we are not talking about a tiny group of people somewhere else.

Maybe life looks completely normal from the outside. You went to work, ran your errands, got the kids where they needed to go, and hopefully you even made it to church.

But inwardly, your thoughts are racing. Your soul is crawling with anxiety, and constant worry is weighing you down.

Sometimes we worry ourselves sick. We take every crisis, every possibility, every “what if,” pile it onto our own shoulders, and then wonder why our souls feel so heavy.

So, I want to say something as clearly as I know how.

Permission Granted.

You have permission to say, “I’m not okay.” You have permission to say, “I need help.” You have permission to ask for prayer, talk to somebody you trust, make the appointment you have been putting off, and pursue the healing God wants for you.

And that permission does not originate with me. It reflects the heart of God toward you.

GOD CARES FOR ALL OF YOU

Near the end of 1 Thessalonians, Paul prayed, “May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). God cares for all of you: spirit, soul, and body.

Your soul includes your mind, will, intellect, and emotions. When you are born again, you are made spiritually alive, your sins are forgiven, and you become a new creation in Christ.

But you do not instantly enter human perfection the moment you get saved. Your record may be clean before God, but your mind still needs renewing, your habits still need changing, and your soul still needs discipleship.

Therefore, we must accept this.

While salvation is instant, sanctification is a process.

Romans 12:2 tells us to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” That means the Christian life includes an ongoing, inside-out transformation of the way we think, feel, respond, and live.

Part of our problem is that we still live in earth suits. And these earth suits are broken.

You can love Jesus and battle anxiety. You can be full of faith and still know depression. You can know God is good and be emotionally exhausted.

Loving Jesus does not make you bulletproof.

GOD IS NOT AFRAID OF YOUR HONESTY

The Bible is remarkably transparent about the inner lives of its heroes. Elijah reached a point where he wanted to die, David wrote openly about fear, grief, and loneliness, and Psalm 88 records the prayer of a gifted and respected man named Heman who said, “My soul is full of troubles.”

He ends that Psalm with darkness still hanging over the page. My generation almost expects the next line to be, “Hello darkness, my old friend.”

The point is simple: God is not afraid of your honesty.

Honesty with God honors Him, while pretending only delays healing. God already knows what is happening inside of you, so you are not shocking Him when you finally tell the truth.

Psalm 34 says the Lord is near to the brokenhearted. Psalm 46 calls Him our refuge and strength, and Psalm 56 gives us words to pray when fear takes over: “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.”

So what do we do when our minds feel like they are spinning out of control? Sometimes we need to pray more, sometimes we need to feed our minds more Scripture, and sometimes we need a confidential conversation with a mature Christian friend or therapist.

And sometimes it is simply D) all of the above.

GETTING HELP IS A SIGN OF WISDOM

Historically, the Church has not always handled mental-health struggles well. Sometimes we have reduced complicated pain to something trite like, “You just need more faith.”

Yes, we need faith. But telling somebody who is overwhelmed to “just have more faith” can be about as helpful as telling somebody who is hysterical, “Calm down.”

That usually works great, doesn’t it?

Sometimes people do not need a worn out obvious cliche. They need somebody willing to sit down, listen, pray, empathize, and try to see life from their perspective.

If you can put yourself in somebody else’s shoes, you may begin to understand why they are struggling. And when you understand better, you can pray better, love better, and help better.

The good news is that these struggles don’t always last forever. For many people, it’ i’s a season, but when you are going through that season, you need friends.

Yes, you have a friend in Jesus. But somebody also needs to know they have a friend in you.

God works through Scripture and Spirit-filled prayer, but He can also work through medical science, counseling, treatment, and gifted Christian professionals. All truth belongs to God, and all healing ultimately comes from Him.

“I AM WILLING”

Matthew 8 tells us about a man with leprosy who came to Jesus with remarkable faith. He did not question whether Jesus could heal him; he said, in essence, “I know You can. The question is whether You will.”

Jesus answered with three of the most beautiful words in Scripture:

“I am willing.”

That does not mean every healing happens when we want it or exactly how we want it. I’d love for every healing to happen immediately, but I’ve lived enough life to know that God is God and I am not.

Sometimes God works miraculously and healing comes instantly. Other times, healing is a process where you take three steps forward, two steps backward, and keep moving anyway.

The journey may look less like a straight line and more like a zigzagged, curly mess. But if you are still moving with God, He is still working.

His heart is irresistibly drawn to the broken, hurting, helpless, and hopeless.

If you’re tired, God cares. If your emotions are stretched thin, God cares. If you know you need help, God cares.

Permission Granted: pursue your healing.

GOD NEVER ASKED YOU TO BE YOUR OWN SOURCE

Isaiah 26:3 promises perfect peace to the mind that is stayed on God. The Hebrew expression is shalom shalom, pointing toward complete peace and wholeness.

Some of us have not experienced much peace because we are still leaning too heavily on ourselves. We keep trying to fix everything, control everything, and carry everything.

But God never asked you to be your own source.

Second Peter 1:3 says that His divine power has given us everything pertaining to life and godliness “through the knowledge of Him.” The more deeply we know Him, the more truth we have available when our minds begin spinning lies.

When your mind says, “I’m never going to get better,” or, “This is going to destroy me,” you do not have to surrender to those thoughts. Sometimes you have to interrupt them and declare something better.

I know Him, and I know better.

God is my help and my source. God is my strength, and He will never leave me nor forsake me. God is not finished with me yet, and He is working in ways I cannot see.

HEALING YOUR MIND IS A JOURNEY

Will everything instantly get better? Maybe. Maybe not.

Healing your mind is a journey, and regardless of what happened to you or how you arrived at this point, it is your responsibility to pursue healing. God is the healer, but you must cooperate with His grace.

Maybe your first step is admitting, “I’m not okay.” Maybe you need somebody to pray with you, or maybe tomorrow morning you need to finally call the Christian therapist you’ve been thinking about.

And maybe today’s assignment is even simpler. Have a snack, take a nap, and wake up with one new task.

You do not have to resolve every issue in your life today. You just need to take one more wise step toward healing.

If you are hurting, do not hide and do not pretend. There is no honor in suffering silently when God has surrounded you with people who can pray, listen, encourage, and help.

You have permission to pursue healing.

Permission Granted.