We have all see the sign:  NO PARKING ANY TIME.  We have also probably been tempted to park in that NO 

PARKING zone.  Some us may have even parked there and had the vehicle towed and impounded.  In her book,

Healing the Soul of a Woman, Joyce Meyer uses this powerful analogy of the NO PARKING ANY TIME as a

metaphor for how we sometimes deal with our mental, emotional, and spiritual pain (2018).
 

Many people experience issues such as anger, depression, anxiety, bitterness, and resentment because an event

or experience has occurred in their life and left them feeling alone, broken, and afraid.  The outcome is that this

experience or multiple experiences have compounded and accumulated over time and has resulted in us

parking ourselves at the point of our greatest pain and never moving forward (Meyer, 2018).  We may even

desperately want to move, but somehow feel we deserve to be there, or develop a belief system that convinces

us there is no way out because it will always be this way.  So, why even try.
 

We have a sly, clever enemy who knows how to trick us into parking in a NO PARKING zone.  He may use

justification to keep us parked.  Well, if they hadn’t hurt me I wouldn’t be this way.  They caused this pain;

therefore, they are the ones that need to apologize, not me.  Maybe you are unaware you parked in a NO

PARKING zone which is often filled with deception.  This can show up as unforgiveness or secret sin. This can

also look like deep wounds that we think we have dealt with and are in the past, but they really aren’t.
 

Sometimes we are fully aware we have parked in the NO PARKING zone, but for the life of us cannot figure out

how to get out.  This can look like deep shame, guilt, or anger from being shattered by someone else or our own

actions.  It can take the form of self-punishment, self-harm, or destructive self-talk because of the belief that

somehow “I deserve this”.
 

The worst part about being in the NO PARKING zone is the potential for being impounded if we don’t move. 

This is when our experiences put us in a mental, emotional, and/or spiritual prison or we can hold someone else

mentally, emotionally, or spiritually hostage in that prison.  The real heart breaking part about that is the fee has

already been paid and the gate is standing wide open, yet we never realize it because we are convinced nothing

will ever change and that it is too late.  There is no way out.
 

We don’t always have control over what happens to us.  Our life experiences are a mixture of what happens to

us at the hands of others and what happens to us by our own choosing.  One of those we have control over, the

other one we do not.  However, imprisonment can be the result of both of these if we camp out where God has

clearly marked off as NO PARKING AT ANY TIME.  It’s not always easy to recognize if we are parked in a NO

PARKING zone.  Once we do realize it, it is an entirely separate journey to move out of that place.  Please know

God is not asking you to do this alone.  Not only will God never leave you or forsake you, but He will also send

others to minister to you and light that pathway through the gate or reroute you so you do not park in your

pain.  You may feel like complete healing and restoration may work for other people, but not for me.  Please

hear me…God does His best work when there are impossible odds.  Only God can take what is broken and 

shattered beyond recognition and create greater strength after the brokenness than before.
 

I recently had an unexpected injury to my ankle that required screws and a plate.  As I have learned about my

injury and repair, I first learned my foot had to be put back in its proper place because it was dislocated.  I then

learned the extent of my brokenness would not heal on its own.  If I parked myself at the point of my greatest

pain because of the unknown future and healing process, it is likely I could have lost the use of my foot.  I yielded

and submitted to the physician who knew exactly how to heal my injury so that my functioning could be

restored.  However, this wasn’t the end of the journey.  After surgery the healing process had only just begun. 

Surgery wasn’t enough for complete healing.  I had to move and stretch and be moved and stretched by others.  I

had to begin to use muscles, ligaments, and tendons that had been severely traumatized.  My gait was awkward

and unsteady and I had a noticeable limp.  At times the stretching hurt, yet day to day healing was happening. 

Things I couldn’t do the weeks and days before, I could now do.  If I wanted full restoration, I couldn’t park

anywhere along the way. Not only was full restoration on its way but the bones that were shattered would heal

to become even stronger than they were before being broken and shattered.  How can that be so?  But God….
 

We all have shattered places.  Be mindful of where you park.  If you can’t find the way out, ask for help.  There

are countless others who have found the pathway out and are willing to go back in and light the way for your

freedom.  Be willing to be stretched in the places that hurt.  It may feel awkward at first, but freedom looks

amazing on you.  God is mindful when administering freedom to tailor it just for our pain.  Willingness to allow

Him access to those places is the first step. Are you willing?



​Meyer, Joyce. Healing the Soul of a Woman.  FaithWords: Hachette Book Group, 2018. Print. 

 

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Mental Health and The Church ​

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I am from a small town in the South.  I have lived in this same small town all of my life and currently live there today.  I have also been in church all of those years.  Now, as a mental health professional I can look back and see, and even currently see, the gaps within the Christian community and other religious communities on the position and posture taken concerning mental health.  If the response toward mental health can be seen on a continuum, on one end church leadership can often refuse to acknowledge that mental health issues legitimately exist and attribute all mental health related problems to a lack of faith, lack of forgiveness, weak prayer life, or demonic influence while on the other end of the continuum, church leadership can often feel ill-equipped to handle the issue and in worst case scenario sweep it under the rug and in best case scenario refer them to an appropriate professional.     

Before diving too far into this argument let us first examine mental health from a biological standpoint.  There has been extensive research across the world to corroborate the biological existence of mental health related issues.  I trust most of you reading this blog have access to the internet.  There are fascinating studies and brain scans available to exemplify how mental health issues such as Depression, Bi-polar Disorder, ADD/ADHD, PTSD, Schizophrenia, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder show up in the brain scans as opposed to those who do not have these disorders.  There are many aspects that contribute to the development of these mental health issues which is beyond the scope and purpose of this blog.     
The reason for covering the scientific and biological existence of these and many other mental health issues is to validate the reality of their existence, not just for the reader, but also for the millions of those impacted by it.  Oftentimes, and maybe even the majority of the time, the emergence or development of these issues has been a direct result of trauma, multiple traumas, grief, loss, or life experiences.  Sometimes it is the combination of a strong genetic component as well as life experiences that causes them to be expressed.  Whatever the cause - it is real.  It is real for the one experiencing it as well as those who love them. Therefore, for those who have a biological reason for what they are experiencing to be told if they pray more, study their Bible more, trust God more, or have more faith and everything will change is setting the person up for disappointment as well as potentially disappointing those around them when the symptoms do not disappear or improve.     

For many who suffer with mental health issues, medication is biologically necessary for their brains to produce the right combination and amount of chemicals they need to function optimally.  Yet, many times these same people are shamed by their religions and church community for medicating something “only God can fix”.  Having said that, I must also address the spiritual side of mental health by saying that I am acutely aware that we do have an enemy who is bent on our destruction and rendering us ineffective.  I cannot remove the spiritual component of mental health because we are made up of mind, body, and spirit with all of these impacting the other and manifesting in various ways.  While we live in a fallen world, not every mental health issue is a direct reflection of demonic attack.  Not that attacks do not occur, but we also cannot attribute all mental health related issues as demonic or evidence of the enemy’s presence.
   
So, now what? Where do we go from here as supportive parishioners and leadership? The answer - follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  What must stop in our church communities is the shaming, devaluing, and invalidating of those dealing with mental health related issues.  Additionally, there is no one size fits all answer.  What is most needed is the wisdom and discernment of the Holy Spirit to know how to treat the body, mind, and spirit.  He created us, so He knows precisely what is causing each issue and how one should go about correcting it.  There are so many ways God can move and so many combinations of treatment.   
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​My challenge to you as fellow believers, family members, spouses, friends, etc. is to allow God to move in the best way He sees fit and allow room for all the ways He may want to do that.  God has created and called people all over the world to operate for His glory in various fields that help those with mental illness.  Please do not close those doors to the very ones that need help the most or shame them into believing it is wrong to explore various help options.  If you or someone you know and love is dealing with a mental health issue consider how God may want them to move forward in their mental health.  If your view has been narrow, ask God if it needs to widen.  If your view has been too wide, ask God if it needs to narrow.  The challenge is to give God room to move in His creativity to bring help, relief, and peace.