God in the Gray Areas

When I think of wellness, I think of something that exists beyond just the physical and extends to all aspects of health, including spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being. With a wholistic approach to wellness, I believe it’s essential to understand that each of these components interacts with one another and overlaps in various ways.

As someone who has struggled with a disability my entire life, I’ve realized that physical health affects far more than just the body. As I dealt with various health complications throughout my teenage years, I also developed multiple mental health challenges. These included an eating disorder, self-harm, depression, and anxiety—challenges that created a cycle that was incredibly difficult to break. It wasn’t until years of therapy that I was finally able to begin breaking those unhealthy patterns.

This, in turn, affected my spiritual health. I started wondering why God would allow me to experience so much pain. I felt worn out and unable to engage in spiritual practices the way I once had, especially with the brain fog that clouded my mind.

As someone who has struggled with a disability my entire life, I’ve realized that physical health affects far more than just the body.

Well-meaning Christians during my high school years told me that if I just prayed, my physical and mental health challenges would disappear. But this was deeply harmful. I did pray. I did read my devotionals every morning. And yet the problems remained. It wasn’t until college that I realized these chronic struggles were what Paul referred to in 2 Corinthians 12 as his “thorn in the flesh.” I believe these challenges are my own version of that thorn.

Wellness is part of God’s original design, but it must be approached wholistically. We can’t always answer spiritual challenges with physical help, just as we can’t always resolve physical challenges with only spiritual support. God created us in such a way that these areas—body, mind, and spirit—overlap. By helping our minds, we help our bodies, and by helping our bodies, we help our spirits. This is what I’ve personally come to understand about wellness.

What about you? Are there areas in your life where you crave healing—where you crave wholeness and wellness?

Remember three things:

1. It’s OK—and biblical—to seek help. Proverbs says that in the multitude of counselors there is safety. God doesn’t want us to suffer in silence; He calls us to reach out.

2. You are not alone. I love the story in 1 Kings 19, when Elijah runs for his life, terrified of Jezebel. Even after a mountaintop faith experience, Elijah still struggled. His story reminds us that a powerful experience with God doesn’t eliminate struggles, and struggling does not mean you don’t believe in God. Elijah believed he was the only faithful one left, but one of the ways God comforted him was by reminding him that he was not alone.

3. Our weakness is God’s opportunity. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 Paul writes, “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My sgtrength is made perfect in weakness.’ ” Our weaknesses—whether spiritual, mental, or physical—places God’s strength in neon lights.

These are the three most important things I’ve learned through my journey with chronic physical conditions, mental health struggles, and spiritual unrest:

God is for you. He is not against you.
He is the healer. He is the restorer.
He is the wonderful, merciful counselor.