get in girl! we're healing.

Are you healing or are you using religious jargon as a band-aid? Using ministry as a distraction? Calling on the name of Jesus--respectfully but still dramatically--instead of asking for help from a physical person?

I'm asking because I do it too. Yet, I didn't realize until recently how unhealthy and unsustainable it is. When the long winded prayers and Bible study fell off. When the hours of fasting and deliverance warfare didn't stick. The same mental and emotional issues I used my fiery faith to police and conceal arose. So, I had to return to a method some Christians demonize to further my healing journey.

I started therapy, and the sessions have been both catalysts and answers to prayers I didn't have the courage to form on my own. It's not my first time going to a therapist. However, it was my first time since encountering Christians who say, "You don't need therapy. That's what the Holy Spirit is for." That might be someone's testimony. I wanted it to be mine, but it's not. Eventually I realized that I'd been avoiding something that could help me heal.

But get this!

That realization was...

healing.

PLUS...

Heavenly healing comes in many forms.

Therapy is one of them!

My unnecessary avoidance of therapy was giving... the Israelites wandering in the wilderness for forty years even though the promised land was right around the corner.

It was giving... Martha stressing herself out even though she could've just sat down at the feet of Jesus.

It was giving... GIRL! It's right there! "Do you want to be well?" (John 5:6)

Now, I'm not going to romanticize the quality of the US mental health system or dismissively tell folks to go to therapy and all of your problems will go away. While I think a lot more of us could benefit from it. Therapy is not one-size fits all. There are different types of therapy depending on what you need. Every therapist is different. Although my therapist is Christian, and quotes scripture on occasion this is not "Christian/Biblical counseling." For my personal history and health concerns, I need more than what "biblical counselors" can give. Plus, I already have a slew of friends and family that point me to the Word when I'm down.

Finding the right therapist definitely requires extensive research, sometimes trial and error, and sadly--for those live in the USA and don't have health insurance that covers therapy--a whole lot of money. I found mine searching for a black woman in my area on PsychologyToday.com and using my mom's insurance (thx mom <3).

Whether therapy's accessible to you right now or not; I pray the best for you on this healing journey--however God manifests it.

---

LORD,

Help us prioritize

mental,

physical,

emotional,

and spiritual healing

with the same compassion and urgency as YOU.

Order our steps on a path of true deliverance,

and align us with beloved community

who support us and our healing in its fullness.

In Jesus name

AMEN