Mental illness can feel like walking around in darkness. Sometimes I'm walking in the thick of it, other times it's looming in the distance like a dark cloud threatening to move in and ruin my picnic. And for someone walking in darkness, the best remedy is, of course,
Light.
Which is why Jesus Christ is so important to me.
He is the Light.
Jesus said:
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12).
The Bible testifies to it:
"In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:4-5).
I've experienced the powerful, radiant light of Christ firsthand. His light has illuminated the darkness of my soul.
Jesus shines through our present darkness and overcomes it. Even if you don't struggle with mental health issues, you don't have to look far to see the darkness in our world; there is turmoil, strife, violence, heartache, and suffering everywhere. Darkness is looming. But Jesus, the Light of the World, overcomes it all!
How?
Ever since The Fall, mankind has been deeply broken. We have been walking around in darkness. We are a humanity, helpless and hopeless on our own. We have been pining for hope since the beginning of the world.
And then, one night, hope arrived in the form of a baby. It was who the prophet Isaiah spoke of in the Old Testament when he said:
"The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned" (Matthew 4:16).
The baby is our Savior who came to earth, grew up and lived a perfect life, then died and rose again to save us from our sins and the brokenness of of this world.
He is our Savior who came to redeem our lives from the pit and to be a gleaming light in our present darkness.
He is our Savior who conquered death and brought us victory and eternal life.
He is our Savior who came to give us abundant life now.
His name is Jesus.
In Jesus, there is hope.
He said:
"I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness" (John 12:46).
So how can those of us in this present darkness receive the light and hope that can be found in Jesus?
We need to follow Him.
Remember, the Bible says that "anyone who follows me will not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
So, how can we follow Jesus?
1. First, we need to receive Jesus.
We are separated from God because He is holy and good and we are full of sin. I don't have to be awake long to see how sinful I am. Selfishness, pride, impatience and unkindness naturally come out of me every single day. My sin is part of the darkness. Which is why I need Jesus. Don't you? The Bible says “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). And because God is a just God, "the penalty of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). But the good news is if we acknowledge our sin, and believe that when Christ died on the cross He paid the price of our sin (death) and then rose again to give us new life, we will be saved. Romans 10:9-10 states, “If you declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." His sacrifice on the cross is everything we need to be reconciled back to God. It's everything we need for our relationship with Him to be restored and for us to be eternally saved. But I had to choose to receive Him. And so do you.
2. Second, we need to spend time with Him.
When we walk closely with God, it allows His light to shine on all the darkness in our lives. I've found that I struggle most with my mental health when I'm not spending enough time with Jesus. I highly recommend getting up early to get some alone time in with God and staying connected to Him throughout the day. You can spend time with Jesus by:
Praising and thanking Him (worship music is great for this!)
Praying to Him and pouring out your heart to Him
Studying and meditating on God's Word (the Bible!)
"Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalms 119:105).
3. Third, we need to share the light of Christ with others.
The Bible says that when we believe in Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit within us. His light shines through us to the whole world. Jesus says to those who follow Him: “You are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14) and tells us to "let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).
Look around you! People are suffering and struggling in so much darkness! And here we are with the light and hope of Christ! Let us go share this hope we have. Let us shine the light of His goodness on a world living in darkness.
Not only will this bless the world around us, it will bless us. When we are thinking of others, we are less focused on the problems within ourselves. Even the secular world knows that.
When we become followers of Jesus, we grow in a relationship with Him and His light fills us with hope. Even though I still struggle with my mental health regularly, when I'm in the presence of God it's like a spotlight is shining on my soul, filling me with peace, joy, and hope. In a relationship with God I have abundant life today and bright hope for eternity when we will all be made completely well and whole.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).
I've struggled with my mental health my whole life.
It's still an ongoing struggle today.
I have personally done many things to help me cope: counseling, therapy, breathing techniques, "Calm" apps, pills prescribed by medical doctors, supplements by holistic doctors, changing my exercise routine, changing my diet. Some of these things didn't help at all, some of them did.
I've seen God work in and through many of these things (a Christian counselor, running while listening to worship music, and healthy eating have probably been the most helpful!) but nothing has helped me more than just spending time with Jesus.
When we follow Jesus, He will shine light on our darkness.
But it doesn't mean all of our problems will go away in this life.
For example, I've begged God almost my entire to life to take away the anxiety that seems to follow me around. I've absolutely found pockets of peace in His presence. His light has shown directly on the darkness within me. But outside of that direct time with God I still experience anxiety. It's like the thorn Paul described in Corinthians:
"Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in infirmities, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12: 7-10).
It sounds strange to say, but my struggle with mental health has actually been one of my biggest blessings because it has kept me very close to God.
I am entirely dependent on Him.
And my relationship with God is the absolute best thing I've ever had.
In the light of His Presence, he has filled me with peace, joy, hope, comfort, love, and given me so much grace. And His grace has always been sufficient. I may be mentally weak, but my relationship with God is strong. And that's what really matters.
"Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence" (Psalms 42:5).
Praise Jesus, the Light of the World, for the hope we have in Him!
"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure" (Hebrews 6:18).
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