Recently, I’ve been hearing more demand than usual for tips and resources for dealing with mental health challenges. And why not? These issues were always with us, but the pandemic and other stresses of these times have exacerbated them.
For those of you unfamiliar with the term “mental health,” the World Health Organization defines it this way: “Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” (www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response) Naturally, there are many things that can threaten this. The two most common are undoubtedly depression and anxiety, both of which have the ability to keep a person from realizing their potential, cope with life, work productively, and contribute. In the past, the importance of these issues has been downplayed or swept under the rug. After all, if it’s “all in your head,” you’re not really sick, right? The fact that the disease is “in your head” makes it no less important or real than if it were in your organs, bones or blood. A depressed person battling thoughts of suicide is fighting for their life just as much as a person with terminal cancer. The anxious person who cannot eat or do their job is suffering just as much as someone with the flu. These ailments may be less visible than a broken arm or a high fever, but they still require care and attention. In fact, mental and physical health are tied together. Proverbs 17:22 recognized this by saying, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Too many studies to count have shown how depression and anxiety weaken the immune system over time, opening the body up to sickness. Some more interesting recent studies show that mental health even affects how we experience back pain. Two people with the exact same physical injury will experience different degrees of pain based on their mental state. Because the mind and body are tied so tightly together, it’s important to take both seriously. While different kinds of people have different kinds of struggles with prioritizing one over the other, the most important thing is to start somewhere. Where does it start? By approaching life as though you matter. Think about it. Care for mental and physical health both demand that you consider yourself worth the effort. Even an action as small as flossing every day relies on the belief that your teeth are worth it. Because the mind is less concrete and visible than the body, it can be easy to dismiss it as though it doesn’t matter. When you treat your mind as though it doesn’t matter, it gets sick just like your body does. As a pastor, I can give you plenty of reasons why you matter as well as why your mind matters. The WHO definition of mental health rightfully points out the importance of doing one’s job, realizing one’s potential, and contributing to society, but I’d like to go beyond that. You matter because your Father in heaven loves you. He cares for you, and sees you as priceless. Even in the church, it can be hard to sit with that before moving on to the idea of doing useful service and living a productive life. However, you can’t move on to service and productivity until you have first recognized your own value. You cannot give what you haven’t received. You are a human being, not a human doing. You matter to God, not for what you can do for Him, but because of who He is. He lovingly made us in His image, knowing full well that we would break His heart. He accepted that heartbreak willingly and gladly because He loves us more truly and purely than we can ever love one another or even ourselves. To Him, it is joy to have you in the world with all the things that make you unique, and He desires that you flourish. He truly desires your happiness and peace. If the times are wearing on your mental health, you may have to come back to this central truth many, many times a day. There are so many voices in the world dehumanizing each other and saying that some people matter more than others. Some internalize these voices from messages received in childhood. However, the Voice of truth cuts past them all to say, “You are my beloved.” That is the base from which all health flows. Yes, there are books full of techniques and practices for better mental and physical health, and they do help. Over the next few weeks, we will be discussing a number of these things, which in some cases can be life-saving. For them to work in a lasting way, though, the foundation must be there. You matter. Your mind matters. Not for what you can do or who you are, but because your Creator adores you.
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AuthorJillian Lutes is the youth pastor at West Covina Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church. Archives
May 2020
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