“Maybe you aren’t feeling close to God because you aren’t… [praying enough, reading scripture enough, attending church enough, living authentically in community enough, serving enough, etc…]” These lack of practices could really be contributing to someone’s lack of connection in their spiritual life, but did you also know that feeling distant from God could be a symptom of depression? Avoiding large church gatherings can be a symptom of social anxiety? Difficulty reading scripture can be a symptom of anxiety, ADHD, dyslexia, and numerous other issues?
But they are also spiritual issues.
how do we know if we are struggling with mental health or spiritual health?
I wish it were that simple! While, Jesus encourages us to 'love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ (Mark 12:30), He is not saying that our experiences are divided into those categories exclusively. We are complex and intricate beings hand sewn by the Creator Himself.
“‘You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. ‘”
We Do ourselves a disservice when we pigeonhole our struggles into either an emotional/mental health issue or spiritual issue.
Classifying in this way is as if we took a trip to the beach and said that it was only a visual trip because we saw the ocean. Of course, that would not be the case! All 5 of our senses experience the beach- we hear the waves, smell the sea, feel the sand, taste the salt in the air. It is a whole body experience!
Likewise, our experiences are rarely, if ever, only spiritual, or mental, or emotional, or physical. Most often, the events of our lives are shared in all areas. Let’s take our first example mentioned above- depression. Depression can exhibit itself mentally- in negative thought patterns; emotionally- in sadness or numbness (and more); physically- in reduced vitamin D levels and lethargy; and of course, spiritually.
As I portrayed in the first paragraph, one of the symptoms of depression is called “anhedonia.” This means that the person may not feel pleasure in activities where they usually do due to a reduction in happy hormones (dopamine, oxytocin, endorphins, seratonin), such as spending time with the Lord. A quick breakdown of the science is this-
Dopamine is our reward hormone. If we have a reduction in dopamine, we might feel less reward (and even no reward) for practicing spiritual disciplines (even though there is reward there for all Believers as is promised in scripture. It just won’t be felt presently).
Oxytocin is our bonding hormone. If we have a reduction in oxytocin, we will not feel bonded with the people around us, even in church community, sometimes including with God. This coupled with low reward can make someone feel like it’s not worth trying to attend church gatherings.
Endorphins are released when we exercise and laugh. Guess what we don’t feel like doing when we are feeling down. A lot of opportunities for worship can be physical (singing, serving, etc.), which can be challenging.
Seratonin is our calming hormone that regulates sleep and stress. If seratonin is reduced, we don’t sleep well and/or feel more anxious. This can become a vicious cycle, and often does. When we are told that we aren’t doing enough to stay connected in the ways that would be helpful, we could feel too tired or stressed to do more, potentially leading us to feel defeated.
Hopefully that quick run down helps to explain how prayer, corporate gatherings, meeting with people, even reading scripture can lose it’s sense of connection, purpose, and joy. And this is only if the person is struggling with depression. There are a myriad of other diagnoses that have different symptoms that can affect someone’s spiritual life.
It boggles the mind that people would persevere through such difficult symptoms to continue attending church, asking for prayer, pressing into community, reaching out to pastors, etc. What keeps people coming, is the promise of healing in Jesus. I’m reminded of the woman who bled for twelve years before she was finally able to touch Jesus’ robe (Mark 5:24-34). She had tried literally everything to no avail, but knew that she could be physically healed by Jesus. And she was! But she was immediately struck with fear! She wasn’t emotionally healed yet. We continue to see through the gospels that Jesus heals many people in different ways, and people respond differently as well. Some are immediately changed emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically, and some are not as we see in Luke 17 when Jesus heals the ten men with leprosy.
Is it a spiritual issue? Yes.
Is it a mental health issue? Also Yes
This is why it is imperative to have a team of support around people, especially if spiritual practices have been attempted and the person feels stuck, defeated, or overwhelmed by them.
I am so very thankful for all of the pastors, church leaders, and Christian friends who are walking along side any client I may have to support them spiritually and pray for them; to be a connection in their world who cares and reaches out. Your personal ministry is so crucial for healing! If you are such a Minister and you are reading this, thank you. The Lord uses you!
But since issues are not solely spiritual, we need others as well who can accurately assess the other areas of life that might be influencing the struggle. For example, we might need a doctor to make sure that hormone and vitamin levels are where they should be. We might need a therapist to help the person process anything that is inhibiting healthy coping strategies and to help the person build those healthy coping strategies.
There are Godly people in all walks of life ready to serve in their calling and field of expertise. The Lord has been kind to us to place in an environment with so many resources. We are not alone, either in the struggle or as a supporter. He literally has people everywhere doing His good work! Let’s lean in more to each other and see what healing God has to bring to our communities!
“‘But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. ‘”
