With faith, when you’re weak, then you’re strong

There’s a Bible verse that’s often taken out of context, among the many that are, which is often used to abuse believers who struggle in their life.  If you take it as it comes in James 1:6-7 it does sound damning to those who struggle with their mental health:

“... you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”

It’s unfortunately common for Christians and Christian leaders to point to this verse when people show ‘doubt’ in their ‘faith’.  I use ‘inverted commas’ to show that there’s another side to these two words that needs to be understood.

A person who struggles with their mental health does not choose to struggle; their struggle is beyond them in the moment.  In other words, at the time they don’t have the answer they need.  This is often portrayed as ‘doubting’, but it isn’t.  Just as the apostle Paul himself was unable to do the right thing at times (Romans 7:15-20).  Equally, Paul mentions in 2 Corinthians that he begged the Lord three times to take a “thorn in his side... a messenger of Satan” away from him—like he had no ability to free himself of this torment.  Would anyone consider Paul weak and unworthy of receiving anything from the Lord?  No, nobody would level that claim against the most famous apostle of Jesus.  And there are countless examples in the Bible of people who struggled.

It’s the same with the concept of faith.

I’d argue that someone with faith and poor mental health is an example of someone with GREATER faith than someone who’s life is going swimmingly along.

The faith of the person who has a dark day after good day is an inspiration when they continue to call upon their God and say humbly, “God, help me, I need you to get through this hour.”

Thankfully we’re living in a day where people are more supported than ever with their mental health concerns, but the culture of society still lags, and the culture within the Christian world—in this particular way—lags further behind than that.

It takes enormous strength to keep fronting up in faith when it’s clear that your mental health isn’t being healed as you’d like.  Christians with ailing mental health are forgiven for having times when they actually give up.

Strength of faith, however, is shown in coming back after days of having faith vanquished.  See how God has the last word, and how God never gives up on us?

Those who give up occasionally but never ultimately give up have great faith, for their occasional or even continual struggles show just how much courage daily living requires.

This sort of strength that feels decidedly like weakness is often criticised as weak, judged as disobedient, and condemned as unworthy, and those that live the struggling life will often self-criticise, and judge and condemn themselves.  It’s never helpful to the struggling when they’re criticised for holding on.

The simple fact is this: an up-and-down life of hardship and struggle under that burden does not exemplify a lack of faith, it reveals it.