Helping you navigate the tension between faith & mental health by looking at a tension point, a talking point and a truth to ponder.

Tension Point

“I know I should be a beacon of ‘Hope’, but to be honest, the world just feels so bleak at the moment. I feel overwhelmed with the darkness in the world every time I read the news. And I don’t have the energy to summon up any positivity”

Talking Point

It feels like we are living in especially dark times. Collectively and individually we seem to be facing threats from all sides. Climate change, cost-of-living, war, famine. Our planet is groaning and people are suffering. Some of these things can feel far away. Some of them are happening on our doorsteps and in our homes.

With world news at our fingertips, we are aware of the scale and level of suffering on a scale no other generation has had to navigate. Against such a bleak backdrop, it can be easy to feel lost and overwhelmed. The darkness can feel terrifying.

And as Christians we can feel the pressure to radiate positivity, to be the ‘hope’ in a world that feels hopeless. But how on earth are we meant to summon up that kind of positivity when we feel so powerless to change the challenges in our own lives, let alone the problems in the world?!

Our hope comes from two things:
1. Understanding that light penetrates the darkness. Every time.
2. Understanding that our light source comes from a source beyond ourselves.

Truth to Ponder

Light wins. Every time.
Have you ever stayed somewhere quite remote, away from the ever present glow of street lights and neon signs? When the sun fades, the darkness creates a sea of black, robbing everything of colour and texture. But then you look up! And the sheer quantity and brightness of the stars takes your breath away.

You see, no matter how dark it can get, the smallest of light can penetrate it. We often talk about the ‘battle between light and dark’. But it's an unfair contest. Light wins every time.

Another light source
‘That may be good and well,’ I hear you say, ‘but when I’m going through a dark time, summoning ‘light’ is so much easier said than done’. And you’d be right. In the face of some darknesses, trying to summon up positivity from within is just too impossible a task. Which is why we need to draw upon a different light source.

“In John 8 Jesus tells us “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” ”

Following Jesus means you have a light that shines in and through you – a light that cannot be stifled by dark times and difficult circumstances because it isn’t your light, it’s His.

So look up. As hard as it is, take your eyes off everything that is weighing you down, trying to scare you, confuse you, make you feel like you can’t see the way ahead. Look to the One who set the stars in the night sky, the One who is called the bright Morning Star, the eternal light bringing hope and healing.

Easier said than done?

We know this can be easier said than done. Believe us. We have journeyed with people travelling through unimaginable darkness and distress. So if it’s a truth you are struggling to grab hold of, reach out to someone who can help as this can be hard to do by yourself sometimes.