Dear Church Family,
During the Sundays of Lent, we have been in a message series entitled “Seeing Through the Eyes of Love.” I have also been leading a video-based adult Bible study from the same theme on Wednesday nights, using materials from Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF). The overarching theme is: “We are worthy to be seen by God; and we are worth seeing ourselves the way God sees us.” If we are to love our neighbor as ourselves, then it is very important to know what it truly means to love ourselves and be seen as worthy, people who are God’s beloved children.
Sadly, there are many people who do not feel worthy of God’s love or the love of others. Perhaps external influences or difficult early-family circumstances led to this. Depression can also play a part and attribute to the difficulty of self-love and feelings of hopelessness. While the message of our good God is that of love and hope through his all-sufficient grace, there are times that we “see through a glass, darkly” (1 Cor. 13:12, KJV). Like the psalmist, we cry to God: “I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning.” (Psalm 38:6, NIV)
In Sunday’s sermon, I referenced Ruth Graham’s book, In Every Pew Sits a Broken Heart. She writes:
“[So] often, we sit in our church pews, pretending that the people who need help are on the outside . . . we smile and look happy and victorious, all the while nursing our broken hearts . . .”[1]
Ruth Graham knows exactly what this is like.
She is the daughter of the famous evangelist, Billy Graham. She went through a painful divorce that was not of her choosing.
Yet lived with guilt and shame behind the mask having everything under control.
She put her “Sunday face on” but deep inside she was afraid and felt isolated . . . all alone.
She writes, “If you are feeling trapped and isolated, you do not need to be afraid. Begin to ask God to release you and let the [Good Shepherd] work in your life gently and thoroughly.”[2]
I believe the church can be the agent of change. We can say, “We see you.” “It’s okay not to be okay.” “You matter.” “You are valued.” “You are worthy.” “You are enough.” “You are a beloved child of God.” The God of the universe wants you and me to be part of the global family of God called the church. Because there, you will find that you are not alone. We are broken and wounded and can find hope and healing through the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.
With this in mind, I offered a resource as an insert in the Sunday worship bulletin. You can also find copies throughout the church and it will be posted on the church website along with the March 19, 2023 sermon video. I hope that you might find this a helpful tool. I am happy to talk with you further if you’d like. It is okay not to be okay. It’s okay to talk about our struggles with mental health in church. After all, we talk about many other troubles and concerns.
Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30, NIV)
[1] Ruth Graham, In Every Pew Sits a Broken Heart, p. 56.
[2] Ibid., p. 65.
In Christ’s care and service,
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