Maybe you can believe that God has a plan for you through your relationships or lack of one, through your workplace or time of unemployment, and through the stage of life you are currently in. But maybe you don’t see Gods plan when it comes to your mental health. How can God give you this burden of anxiety, depression, sadness, and hopelessness? If God was good, why would He place this burden upon you? These struggles are placed in our life so that we can turn to God. Because it is in our weakness that we turn to Him who is our strength.
We all go through times in our life when we experience extreme emotions. That can be joy, anger, sadness, fear, happiness, surprise, or disgust (to list a few). When we experience these moments of pure feeling, we often thank God or yell at Him or cry out for help. Why do we turn to God when we experience extreme emotions? Because that’s when we remember God. We either need Him or we are so overjoyed that we start thanking Him. So when our emotions or our diagnosed mental disorders feel overwhelming, that’s when we turn towards God.
Remember the theme of this series? This moment is for you. So if we can believe that our situational moments were made for us, why is it so hard to believe our emotional moments were also created for us?
As you go throughout your day and experience times when you feel sad or when you feel happy, remember that God is with you. God isn’t giving you these painful emotions and He isn’t giving you anxiety and depression. Those are a result of when sin entered the world. The devil is using them to hurt you. However, good things can come as a result of these strong emotions and mental disorders. If we continue to press into Him as we tackle emotions and anxiety and depression, we will get through it. God knew you would feel angry when your friend went behind your back. He knew you would feel happy when your sibling came home from college. God knew you would have an anxiety attack before taking that test. God knows your emotions and He’s hoping you will turn to Him as you deal with them.
You are going to face many internal battles throughout your life. You are going to have times when your emotions and mental health seem like too much. But the point is for you to grow from the pain. You are here for a reason and you are in this moment for a reason. Trust that God has a plan for your pain.
EMILY DICKINSON 