This is part of a series of posts originally written in 2023.

Does mental health matter to God?  

Short answer, yes, of course it does.  So let’s dig into why I believe this and why I trust that you can believe this also.

God created us.
We can read about the creation of the world in Genesis 1-2.  We see how God speaks, and everything comes into being, except humanity.  Man was created differently, more personally, by God.  God decides to create humanity in His image. He puts His hands into the dirt and forms the not-yet-alive body of the first human.  And then he kneels down and breathes the breath of life into the body and the first man is alive.  This is unique to every other living creature in creation.  

Scholars and theologians have debated for a long time how to understand the breath of life.  But most are in agreement that this is related to the concept of soul or consciousness.  It is what separates humanity from purely physical creatures/animals.  This breath of life gives us our mental capabilities.  Because God created us with this design feature, that means it was created perfectly.  God wanted us to be able to think, observe, ponder and wonder.  

God hears our cries when we are suffering.
Though God created us to be perfect, sin entered into the world and tarnished everything God created, including our mental health.  But our God is a compassionate God and He cares for us in our moments of distress like a mother cares for her crying child.  When torment and pain afflict our body and our mind, God hears our cries.  The book of Psalms reminds us of this:

For he has not despised or abhorred
the torment of the oppressed.
He did not hide his face from him
but listened when he cried to him for help. — Psalms 22:24 (CSB)

Lord my God,
I cried to you for help, and you healed me. — Psalms 30:2 (CSB)

In my alarm I said,
“I am cut off from your sight.”
But you heard the sound of my pleading
when I cried to you for help. — Psalms 31:22 (CSB)

God redeemed us.
But God does so much more than just hear our cries.  He rescues and cares for us.  He did this by sending Jesus into the world to suffer and die on our behalf for our sins.  Jesus’ resurrection from the grave gives new life to all who believe.  This resurrection and new life is not just for our physical bodies when we die.  It is for our entire created being, including our mind.  And it is for right now.  

The redemptive restorative work of Jesus Christ is something that we experience right now.  He is at work through those who love us.  He is at work through doctors, therapists, medications, and counselors.  

Mental health matters to God.
You matter to God.
You belong to God.

+Pastor Garet Ellis