The Thing About Therapy
While the societal progress made regarding the perspective on therapy cannot be ignored, it also cannot be denied that there still remains a stigma within the church regarding the pursuit of therapy. The overarching sentiment seems to be “Jesus is enough.” And while at its core that premise is correct, it negates the ability of our God to use other means, methods, and people to bring His will to pass.
We see no issue with exercise and healthy eating as a means to promote physical health. We see no problem with seeing a doctor as a means to address physical ailments. Isn’t our mind a vital part of our body that also deserves care? Don’t our emotions deserve to be acknowledged and tended to?
The Bible is filled with examples of how Jesus used other people and outside resources to bring healing, meet needs, and transform people’s lives. Let’s talk about how Jesus used mud, formed with His saliva in John 9 to heal a blind man. Let’s talk about how the woman with the issue of blood touched the hem of Jesus’ garment to experience healing from her ailment in Luke 8. Let’s talk about how often the disciples were used as agents to bring about God’s healing to others. Matthew 10:1 tells us “Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.”
Such examples demonstrate that Jesus’ healing power wasn’t exclusive in the sense that He didn’t mandate people interact exclusively with Him in a certain manner. Jesus used mud, clothing, and the disciples to ensure His healing power was accessible to others. It wasn’t so much about the ‘how’ as it was the ‘who.’ It was about understanding whom the healing was coming from, and not about a specific means or process of obtaining it.
To embrace therapy does not mean a neglect of God. It has been and will always be the power of God that brings healing. To embrace therapy simply means embracing another means through which God wants to bring healing into your life.
The key is to ensure that those we seek help from are informed, both spiritually and medically.
For me, this has meant seeing a Christian therapist well-versed in biblical theology and psychology- a person who is equipped in mental health and the Word of God. This has allowed the truth to be spoken into my life based on God’s Word but has also allowed for the identification of patterns and ways of thinking that have proven to be detrimental to my growth.
During the process of embracing therapy in my life, I didn’t disregard Christ or the Word of God. Rather, I partnered the awareness I was gaining about myself, my feelings, and the impact of past traumas on my thoughts and behavior with God’s Word, prayer, and passionate pursuit of Christ. Understanding my flaws and weaknesses as uncovered in therapy highlighted my need for God even more. I was given practical tools to help me deal with my triggers and traumas in real-time, while also being pushed towards the feet of the cross in order to reshape and redefine my thoughts, feelings, and behavior according to the Word of God.
But before I could get to this place, I had to have a mind and a heart open to embracing another means by which God wanted to work in my life. It was not comfortable or easy to be vulnerable with a stranger initially, but it was one of the best steps I ever took in terms of pursuing healing and wholeness.
So instead of Jesus or Therapy, what about Jesus and Therapy?
