5 Empowering Reasons Christians Should Embrace Therapy

1. Therapy honors God’s design for community and support.

God designed humanity to live in community and support one another. The early church exemplified this by sharing their lives and resources to help each other. Therapy provides an environment where we can focus on sharing our burdens and receiving professional guidance. Galatians 6:2 urges us: “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Practicing empathy and compassion is also central to both therapy and Christian community. Jesus modeled these qualities throughout his ministry, often engaging with people who were marginalized, stressed, or in need of healing. Therapists are trained to provide empathetic, non-judgmental support, creating a safe space for clients to explore thoughts and feelings. This empathetic approach is connected with the compassion that Jesus encourages us to show to each other. Therapy gives us a confidential setting where we can express our deepest emotions and struggles without fear of judgment. This reminds us of God’s call in James 5:16: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed…”.

Just as the early church members supported each other through various trials, therapists help clients manage life’s challenges, such as grief, loss, relationship issues, and mental health disorders. One significant barrier to Christians seeking therapy is the stigma that can sometimes surround mental health issues within the church. By understanding therapy as a form of fulfilling the biblical command to support one another, we can help reduce this stigma. Seeking therapy is not a sign of weak faith, but an act of responsible stewardship of our mental health. Embracing therapy as part of God’s design for community and support allows Christians to fully experience the benefits of mutual care and empathy. By participating in therapy, we can find the help we need to manage life’s difficulties while fulfilling the biblical mandate to bear one another’s burdens. This not only leads to personal healing and growth but also strengthens the worldwide church community overall.

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2. Therapy helps us seek wisdom.

The Bible encourages us to seek wisdom throughout our lives. This pursuit of wisdom is not limited to spiritual matters but extends to all aspects of life, including mental health. Therapists, with their specialized training and expertise, can offer valuable insights and guidance that help us navigate complex emotional and psychological issues. Proverbs 12:15 points out: “The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.” The Bible makes it clear that wisdom is not something we naturally possess but something we must diligently seek. James 1:5 urges us: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

Christian therapists point us toward God’s wisdom. They are professionals trained to help us understand and manage our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors from a faithful perspective. They use insights grounded in psychological research and clinical experience to help us make sense of our experiences and develop healthy ways of processing them that lead us to wisdom. Therapy helps us gain insight into our behaviors and thought patterns, enabling us to recognize and change unhealthy habits and attitudes. Therapists teach techniques for emotional regulation, leading us to the wisdom of greater emotional stability and well-being. Therapy also involves developing problem-solving skills, which we can use to make wise decisions in all situations. So, therapy is a valuable tool for seeking wisdom, offering insights and guidance that can strengthen our understanding of God, ourselves, and our circumstances.

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3. Therapy helps us heal.

Therapy can be a powerful tool for healing emotional pain and restoring mental health. Many people carry deep pain from past traumatic experiences, which can affect well-being and relationships in the present. The Bible speaks extensively about God’s desire for our healing and wholeness, and therapy can be an effective way to help us achieve that. Psalm 147:3 says about God: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” The Bible is also filled with promises of God’s healing. It shows that God is a compassionate healer who cares deeply for his children and wants us to be whole and healthy. Jesus’ ministry on earth included significant acts of healing. Therapists provide a safe and supportive environment where we can explore our pain and work through past traumas, with God’s help. Many people struggle to express their emotions in healthy ways. Therapy encourages emotional expression, helping us release pent-up feelings and gain clarity on our emotional states.

Through therapy, we learn coping mechanisms and resilience-building strategies that can help us handle future challenges well. The Bible gives numerous examples of people who experienced God’s healing. King David frequently sought God’s help for his emotional struggles. In the Book of Psalms, which often mentions healing, we see David’s many candid expressions of pain and his reliance on God for healing. Jesus often encourages us to pursue healing in ways that can help us embrace the peace he offers us. In John 14:27, Jesus assures us: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Embracing therapy can help us embrace the peace that Jesus wants us to experience by healing us from past pain. 

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4. Therapy helps us renew our minds.

God calls us to renew our minds. Romans 12:2 urges us: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” That process involves rejecting worldly patterns of thought and embracing a mindset that reflects God’s truth and purposes. Renewing our minds is essential for discerning God’s will and living holy lives that please God. Therapy provides practical tools to renew our minds by identifying and changing harmful thought patterns. In therapy, we can learn ways of cooperating with the Holy Spirit to develop healthier, more constructive ways of thinking. Therapists can help us grow the “fruit of the Spirit” that Galatians 5:22-23 mentions as healthy attitudes: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…”.

We can integrate therapeutic techniques with spiritual practices for mind renewal. For example, combining cognitive-behavioral therapy with scripture meditation helps replace negative thoughts with biblical truths. Understanding therapy as a valuable tool for renewing our minds can help us embrace therapy as part of God’s provision for mental renewal. By providing tools to identify and change negative thought patterns to positive mindsets, therapy helps align our thinking with God’s truth and purposes. Integrating therapeutic techniques as we work with the Holy Spirit can lead us to a powerful mental transformation. Embracing therapy as part of mental renewal helps us experience more clarity, peace, and joy in our lives regularly.

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5. Therapy helps us let go of anxiety and worry.

Anxiety and worry are common struggles that can harm our spiritual and emotional well-being. Therapy provides practical tools to manage anxiety and worry, helping us live the peaceful and centered lives God wants for us. The Bible encourages us in 1 Peter 5:7 to cast our anxieties on Jesus: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:25-34), specifically advises against worry, reminding us of God’s faithful care for all creation. He concludes in verses 33 and 34 by urging us to seek God first, and then we can trust that God will provide everything we need, so we won’t have to worry: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Philippians 4:6-7 echoes that advice, encouraging us: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Therapy offers many effective strategies for letting go of anxiety and worry by providing tools to address both the symptoms and root causes of them. Therapists can help us develop practical strategies for trusting God more in our daily lives. For instance, cognitive-behavioral therapy teaches ways to challenge and reframe negative thought patterns that contribute to worry. We can use prayer and meditation as part of that process. Also, therapists often teach relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and mindfulness meditation, which can help reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety. We can combine mindfulness techniques with contemplative prayer, creating a holistic approach to managing anxiety that includes both psychological and spiritual dimensions. Embracing therapy allows us to overcome anxiety and worry so we can trust God more and live more peaceful lives. 

In conclusion, therapy is a valuable tool that God can use in powerful ways to help us heal from emotional wounds and enjoy mental health. By providing a safe space with trained professionals to process our emotions and seek God’s will for our lives, therapy can do a lot to help us thrive in our stressful world. So, we shouldn’t hesitate to embrace therapy whenever we need it. Therapy can be an important part of God’s plan for us to live faithful and fulfilling lives.

Related Resource: More Than Enough: The Silent Struggle of a Woman's Identity

Join host Tamra Andress on The Messenger Movement Podcast as she engages in a profound discussion with co-authors of the "More Than Enough: The Silent Struggle of a Woman's Identity" devotional book. If you're struggling with issues of identity, purpose and mission, join us as we see what Christ has to say about how and why we were made! Be sure to subscribe to The Messenger Movement on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!

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