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Hi from the Salvation Army. You're listening to Words of Life. These are the words, these are the words, these are the words of life. These are the words, these are the words, these are the words of life. Welcome back to Words of Life.
As we continue this discussion with our panel, which began last week, today we're focused on the topic of mental health and what role the church should play in creating safe places of healing for those suffering from a mental health crisis. Dr. Ian Mudge is our resident psychologist throughout this series, and we're so grateful for the wisdom he shares with us in this episode. If you are looking for counseling, I would recommend reaching out to your local church to see if they have connections to local counselors. We will also have several links in the show notes, including Psychology Today's online therapist directory.
If you're in need of immediate emotional support, you can dial 988 anywhere in the U.S. and be connected with someone right now. We really pray you are already being blessed by this series, so be sure to subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast store so you don't miss any of these episodes. I want to start with a story. I was going to buy our most recent car, and I went to the car salesman.
I said, I want this car. And we were sitting down while the paperwork was being done and we were having a conversation. He says, What do you do for a living? Oh, well, I'm. A psychologist and I work with pastors who are struggling.
And he looks at me like I'm crazy and he goes, Pastors don't struggle. What are you talking about? How do you even have a job? Like these people are so close to God that God will overcome any of their struggles. And I said, I hate to break it to you, but that's part of the attitude that leads to mental health struggles in the church.
We have this expectation. That because we're close with God, we're not going to suffer. And if we read the Bible, I get the exact opposite message of that. Of course, we're going to suffer. Of course we're going to experience difficulties.
Now, that should still inform how we respond to those difficulties. But I think in the church, we have this attitude that we have to bury mental health, or hide our mental health, or hide our struggles because it's somehow indicative of a poor relationship with God. And one of the big things that I'm always pushing pastors to do is talk about your mental health struggles. Why? Because vulnerability is what gets other people to talk about their difficulties and their issues.
If you want somebody to reveal something about themselves, tell them your own story about suffering and struggle. And when we start getting those things out there, we can begin the healing process. But as long as it's buried, it's just sitting there infestering within us and it's just corrupting us, and then everything that comes out of us ends up corrupted by that. The reason why we hide our mental health issues is because of shame. I want to define what shame is for just a second because I think this is a really important topic.
Shame is feeling like there's something wrong with me. A lot of people get that confused with guilt, which is feeling bad for something I've done wrong, because they do go hand in hand. But shame is feeling like there's something wrong with me. And when something bad happens to us, be it abuse, be it trafficking, be it all of these topics that we're talking about, people feel this shame. There must be something wrong with me that caused me to experience this.
And as a counselor, my real job is to tell them that's absolutely not true. It has nothing to do with you. And to help them come through that shame. But we worship a God who is the opposite of shame. Bonhoeffer talks about how shame is Disunity.
Disunity with ourself, disunity with God, and disunity with other people. When shame is present, it's telling us that there's some sort of disunity. And we worship a God. who there is no condemnation. God is trying to get us to connect.
He's trying to bring us into unity with him, into unity with others, into unity with ourselves. And shame is the opposite of that.
So in the church, we hide our mental health issues. We're feeding the shame that's keeping us separated. We need to do the exact opposite. And I know that what I'm saying is hard, but we can't be vulnerable without taking risk. Healing happens in the context of community.
And I think churches are spaces where we need that vulnerability and openness to share. And I know when we're talking about anti-trafficking work or pathway of hope and working with vulnerable families, one thing we value is. Community collaboration and integrating the church into the work that we do. And so we encourage families to be a part of the church and to build relationships with people so that they have support as they're navigating their mental health struggles. You know, and a lot of times, what we see with whether it's with homelessness or anti-trafficking is that it's not just one thing.
There is often mental health challenges, addiction challenges, trauma from adverse childhood experiences. And so, Healing doesn't happen with one thing. it takes a community of support walking alongside people. And so I think our churches should be spaces where we can all experience healing and experience the Lord's grace. Hey, you're listening to the Salvation Army's Words of Life.
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See website for details. I want to kind of pick up what you're talking about shame. I would say that. Even though I've been through some really hard situations in my life, Um I think that The Lord has enabled me to get past the shame so that I could share those experiences. with others Even though I've been told numerous times to not share those things that they're too personal, you know?
But I really felt like God was saying to me, there are people that you're speaking to that need to hear that you can move past that. that the Lord can heal of art. You don't have to live in shame for those things. And so I really feel like that, that has been a part of my story, even as to why I want to help other people. And then also to be able to see that.
Other people have trauma, other people have very hard circumstances, and then you keep them inside of yourself. they just come out in other very unhealthy ways. And so, even though I hate that I went through any of that, I'm so thankful that I can use that. To help other people. And that, you know, as you said, like, that I'm not going to live in shame for that, like, that God sets us free from that.
And that. Already people Have so many complicated feelings about things, and that I hate that they would have to add shame on top of that too.
So. That story in the car dealership. It does shine a light on this. When we talk about shame, I love how you said it was disunifying from people, God, yourself. Most of us probably already know, but the U.S.
Surgeon General declared loneliness and isolation. As a national public health epidemic that is live right now. There's advisories behind it and ways that. The US is trying to kind of mitigate the situation. And it wasn't necessarily caused by COVID.
It was. It's just been happening and so When I think of shame, shame thrives in isolation. this mental health crisis, it all thrives in isolation. And This conversation there is no better time than now to have it. When we talk about mental health struggles in the church, I mean, I'm so I can talk for hours about it because I think That's where the trauma, all of that likes to hide behind.
Well, I'm a believer, and Jesus paid it all, and that should be the end of it. And it's not. We still have to do the work. And it says, to your point, Major Sandra, about. Healing.
The Bible says, confess your sins one to another, and then you'll be healed. And it's not necessarily bearing all of this is what I've done, but it's the same as partnership. It's the ministry of reconciliation with each other. If I'm sharing this is what I've gone through to another, that's where healing begins. I think we need to bring that back to the church really.
Normalize We are all broken. Pastor so-and-so, you are also broken, and it's okay because you're human. We pray that you're enjoying and being blessed by this conversation. We're gonna take one more ad break and we'll be right back. Hello, I'm David Jeremiah.
As America marks 250 years, This ought to be a moment not for anger. But for prayer, Not for division. but for grace. You see, the best way to honor our country is to live out our faith with courage. Conviction?
and humility. In a time when many voices seek to pull us apart, we must remember this. Every person is made in the image of God and should be treated with dignity and respect.
So let us ask the Lord to help us walk in truth. Speak with grace. and demonstrate the kind of character that can strengthen a nation. And may God bless America. Mm.
I worked for five years in inpatient rehab setting, working with. people struggling with homelessness and addiction, coming right out of prison. And you'll never meet a more shameful population than that. They like to keep everything in. Why?
Because they've been through horrible things. They've done horrible things. And I would always sit down with them and tell them, It's those things that you're not willing to talk about are the things that are driving your addiction. They're driving you towards prison institutions and death. And if you want to overcome that, We have to confess.
We have to bring it out and talk about it. That's what counseling is for. Please, please, people, I'm legally held to a standard of confidentiality. Come tell me stuff. It's freedom.
Yeah. It's freeing. And that's how we overcome shame. We have to shine a light on it. It's those skeletons in the closet that are always going to come back to bite us.
For people listening. If you don't have anybody that you can trust, if you don't have anybody that you can connect to. Talk to a counselor, find a friend, find a church. Open up about these things, because your suffering only has meaning. when it's shared.
And when the healing can begin, and when God can step in and begin working through that. to help other people. But by helping other people, you're also helping yourself. That's the incredible thing. We worship a God who is here with us.
going through the suffering with us. This isn't some abstract thing, right? Jesus came to the earth and he suffered and died in the most horrible way. Why? For our sins, sure, it's a sacrifice for our sins, absolutely.
But also Because he identifies with us, he understands us, he's there with us. When you're in that moment of suffering, when you're in the depths, the dark depths. God's there too. You might not see him. you might not feel his presence.
But he's there with you. We worship a God who is present with us. and can work through that. In a positive way and bring positive things out of it. I don't understand how it works.
I've got no clue, but God can work through our suffering. God, I thank you for. Your overwhelming bluff. and the fact that you love every single one of us. unconditionally.
Doesn't matter what we've done in the past. Doesn't matter. What we thought, who we've hurt, the horrible things that have been done to us, and the difficulties that we've been through, but the fact that you still continue to love us. You tell us in your word that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. And that same chapter you say before anything happened to us.
It was written in your book. You knew what was going to happen to us and you chose. to create us anyway. We thank you for that love. And we thank you that if we confess our sins, if we confess our shame, You are faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
God, for right now, for those who are out there listening to this, who are suffering. Be with them in that moment. Make your presence known. Give them the peace that only comes from you. And thank you.
That your love is with them, and that your love will help give purpose to their suffering. In Jesus' name. Matt. The Salvation Army's mission, doing the most good, means helping people with material and spiritual needs. You become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army.
Visit SalvationArmyUSA.org to offer your support. You can subscribe to Words of Life on your favorite podcast store or visit SalvationArmysoundcast.org. Join us next time for the Salvation Army's Words of Life. These are the These are the words of life. These are the words.
These are the words. These are the words of life. Thanks so much for listening to Words of Life. We want to thank the team at Life Audio for their partnership with us on the show. Visit lifeeaudio.com where you'll find dozens of other faith-centered podcasts in their network.
They have shows about prayer, Bible studying, parenting, and more. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you next time. Need more of God's power in your life? I'm Christina Patterson, host of the Teach Us to Pray podcast, providing practical tips on how to grow your faith through prayer.
Subscribe at lifeaudio.com. Yeah. The Historical Jesus Podcast is the sweeping saga of the life and times of Galilean Jesus of Nazareth, as well as the faith, religion, and church founded to honor and disseminate his acts and teachings. Join me, Mark Vinette, on this fascinating journey through time, exploring the many great works of Christian theology, literature, architecture, music, and art inspired by the words and deeds of Jesus Christ.
