Our mental health is important. What you are feeling is important. Your pain is important. That’s why you need to speak up about it.

It’s both heartbreaking and concerning to try and wrap your head around the sheer number of people who suffer in silence with mental health. In my personal experience with years of suffering alone in severe depressive disorder and anxiety, it almost ended up in a life-altering discussion to try and end it all. 

Luckily for me, God had another plan and stopped me in the process, and if you find yourself in that place now he's with you.

The shame and guilt one feels you may feel, from experiencing mental health issues. Whether it be depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, whatever the case, is exactly the seed the enemy plants to keep you silent.

I know firsthand how much he tries to keep you silent. Maybe you think you'll hurt people you care about or perhaps you don’t want to be honest about what you're going through because you're scared of how they'll react.

Or maybe you just tell yourself you're being dramatic, that it’s all in your head, that you can do it alone. I’ve been there, I've had the thoughts, I've felt lonely and isolated. But Christ wants to speak to us, he's knocking but we have to be willing to open the door and he’ll take care of the rest. ‍

God wants you to speak up‍

Your creator, the creator of day and night, of breath and rest, of stars and the moon, of me, of you, cares. It's not too insignificant for God to move.

Remember you serve a God who never disappoints, never losses, never underperforms, is never overwhelmed, you serve a God who loves you in your darkest. He created you and knows you. He formed you and he has purpose and reason for you.

Furthermore, there are people who will listen, who will walk through your burdens with you, and who will love you with all that they have as they are commanded to. As his word says “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15: 12-13,

But people can't help you go through it if they don’t know what's broken. You have to speak up, open your heart to someone you trust. But most importantly you have to open your heart to Jesus, he is within your reach. ‍

No matter your hurt, your pain, your mental health status, your trials, or your trauma, you will never change God's mind about who he’s created you to be. Start with talking to Jesus and let him show you how to break your silence. You are important. Your mental health is important.

Remember, "All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28

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Resources

Don't Stop Breathing by Pastor Rich Wilkerson Jr.

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