Faith that Hurts!

August 26, 2021

By: Paul Bishop MA, LPC/S - Director

Some types of faith do not help your mental health. In fact, some types of faith may ultimately damage you both spiritually and mentally. A healthy faith helps us face reality, deal with the present, find forgiveness from the past and gives us hope for the future. It is based on a God who is bigger than all of our past mistakes, our present concerns or our future anxieties.  An unhealthy “faith” asks you to pretend that God will give you whatever you ask for if you just claim it, tells you that happiness is about pursuing your own dreams and not surrendering them to God. It leaves you disillusioned when faced with the disappointments of life. True faith recognizes that I need God, that He loves me and that no matter what painful circumstances I may face, I am not alone, it is not all about me, and it is not without purpose. A healthy understanding of God is planted in the knowledge that He created us with choice and that sometimes in life we face the painful consequences of the choices of others. Hang onto faith that sees beyond the pain, beyond the present and beyond the failures of yourself or others and helps you look to a God who wants to heal you, hold you, redeem you and walk through life with you!