Wake Up, Look Up

Hello everyone, and thanks for listening to Wake Up, Look Up, a podcast where we connect events happening in real time to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm, Zach Weihrauch, and in today's episode we're asking the question, are you one text away from healthy? This is prompted by an article I read in the New York Times recently about how studies are showing that text based therapy, in other words, interacting with a therapist via texting on your phone, is just as effective at easing depression and anxiety as in person or video therapy. This is really interesting. They did a study involving 850 adults with mild to moderate depression young using text therapy over 12 weeks to see would it produce the same kind of benefit that seeing a counselor in person or Zoom might do? I guess the reason they were exploring this is because most people would be more comfortable texting than they would on video or in person. that brings a certain level of anonymity, a certain level of distance. It's also incredibly accessible. Right? You can literally be at therapy while you're riding the train or be in therapy, but while you're sitting on your couch. What they find is that not only is it easier for more people to begin therapy using texting, but they also drop out at a much lower rate. People disconnect from counselors far, fewer if it's via text. So again, what the studies were showing is that it's just as helpful to be texting a therapist as it is to be with them in person. Here's why I think that's important, because I, I think a lot of us need help processing our emotions. I've been pretty open about my own use of therapy, from the pulpit in this podcast. That's because I'm trying to normalize it. I think a lot of us don't know how to process what we're feeling, even internally, let alone externally. We end up carrying things that we really would be better just getting rid of. And so I wanna encourage you, if you've never thought about therapy, to, to consider that this study is telling you it may be more accessible to you than you could even imagine. You may literally be one text away to a therapist away from being better. Let me give you a little theology behind that. Let's just start here. God cares about our mental health. In Psalm 147:3, we're told that God heals the brokenhearted. And what he means there is that God is in the business of first caring about those who are struggling. Brokenheartedness is not a broken arm. When it says that God heals the brokenhearted. He's talking about mental and emotional pain. He's talking about those of us who are struggling with anger or sadness or, guilt or shame or broken relationships. He helps those who are brokenhearted. God cares about your mental health. He cares about your emotional health. And if you don't have a view of God what you where that's true, not only are you out of step with what the Bible tells us about God, but you end up with, a God who you only hear from when you mess up, or you only hear from when he wants something. And if that's the God you have, a God who only cares about sin and a God who only cares about duty, then no wonder you're not engaging Him. In other words, if you don't learn that God cares about your mental and emotional health, you'll never be a person who, of deep prayer. You'll never enjoy a depth of relationship with God because you simply will think he's ambivalent. God heals the brokenhearted. He cares about your mental and emotional health. But you can't just stop there because he doesn't bring that healing in some kind of magical way. He does it through other people. I quote this verse a lot on Wooloo. It's one of my favorite verses in the Bible in Galatians 6:2, where it says this bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Do you hear that? Come alongside one another, help each other to carry the burdens of life. Yet another reference to mental and emotional heaviness. And when you do that, when we help each other, we fulfill the law of Christ. In other words, we're doing the work Jesus wants us to do. Because God heals the brokenhearted who through the help of other people. That is his pattern. He works through people to bring emotional and mental healing. So when you reach out to a therapist or even to a friend, to someone who's discipling you to a pastor via text or video or in person, you're not short-circuiting God or working around him. God is working in your life through other people. And then finally, let me say this, speaking up brings healing. It isn't just that God wants to heal us and he does it through other people. Almost always the beginning point of that process is us saying something. In James 5, 16, James says, confess your sins. Listen to this. Confess your sins one to another and be healed. Talking about the ways we've gotten things wrong, talking about the damage we've caused, talking about the damage that has been caused to us is the beginning point of accessing the healing work of God through others. You're not tough if you're staying quiet. You're simply being stubborn. Confession is a pathway to healing. If you don't believe me, spend some time in the Psalms after listening to this episode. Because what you'll find is there are a lot of times the psalmist starts with some pretty dark emotion. God, where are you? God, what are you doing? God, do you even care? But he ends in praise. That's because that psalm is telling us there's a power to unburdening. So listen. If you're struggling, reach out to someone. If not a therapist, then a friend. If not a friend, then a pastor. Someone, even via text. Let them know you're struggling. Let them know you need help. Find the healing that God has for you in other people. Hey, thanks for watching this episode of Wake Up, Look Up. If you enjoyed it, please help us get the word out by sharing it with someone you think might benefit from it. And while you're here, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get further content or even download the CCC app, where you'll find even more resources to help you grow in your faith and relationship with Jesus Christ.

Have an article you’d like Zach to discuss? Email us at wakeup@ccchapel.com!