"Healing" From Mental Health Challenges ... What about Ongoing Vigilance?
July 7, 2022
When I give seminars in Christian contexts about mental health challenges, a question often comes up: "Don't we believe that God can heal us from -- and give us victory over -- struggles with mental health challenges like addictions, compulsive habits, depression, and anxiety?" In Christian settings, we often like to think in neat, tidy categories; and when it comes to giving
testimony about our "issues" it's much easier to talk about things we "used to struggle with" than to talk about ongoing battles.
We want to think that there's a moment in time that we're "over it." In that context, talking about the need for ongoing VIGILANCE can be confusing and discouraging.
Persistent problems like addiction, and recurring challenges like depression and anxiety, don't easily fit into the "Christian victory" and "healing" narrative. How do we understand them as ongoing issues?
