— by William Norvell

“Our soul is like an inner stream of water, which gives strength, direction, and harmony to every other element of our life.”

— Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart

Let’s Define Mental Wellness 

According to the Global Wellness Institute, when we talk about mental wellness, we are focusing not just on our mental or cognitive functioning but also on our emotions; our social relationships; our ability to function in daily life; and even our spiritual, religious, and/or existential state. 

One of the most misunderstood points regarding mental wellness is that the absence of mental illness does not equate to the presence of mental wellness. Simply because someone is not diagnosed with a specific condition does not mean they exhibit mental wellness. Similarly, the absence of disease in the body does not equate to a healthy body. 

It’s hard to open up a newspaper or turn on your phone without seeing a report on the mental-illness crisis in the world, but I think that is only part of the problem, and we need to focus on the bigger mental-wellness issue. 

We need to find resources for those in crisis, yes, but we also need to focus on everyone up and down the spectrum—from crisis to health. This is mainly because, for most people, life is lived on a continuum—moving from crisis to health and every spot in between. 

As Christians, we are uniquely equipped to understand the human condition because Jesus is the Author of that condition. For this reason, I think the pursuit of mental-wellness solutions is a call that all Christians should answer loudly, as it will be the defining pandemic of our time. 

People are often scared to admit that we are in the midst of a mental wellness pandemic. Why don’t we admit it? It is partly because of fear and partly because of misunderstanding and stigma. I have been calling it the Unspoken Pandemic and have recently dedicated most of my waking hours to working on a solution.  

We must strive to help people understand that it’s who they become that matters, not what they do. We are all being formed—intentionally or unintentionally—each moment of each day, but we must understand that in order to flourish and bring flourishing to the communities to which we are called. 

The Greatest Commandment Commands a Pursuit of Mental Wellness 

In the Gospel of Matthew, the responsibility of the Christian life is summed up beautifully by none other than Jesus:  

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” – Matthew 22:36-40 

I have heard this command so many times in so many situations, but it was not until recently that I read this in light of the mental wellness pandemic. When you really look deeply into this command, it is a command to pursue mental wellness and then love God and others out of that place of wellness. 

If we are lacking mental wellness, how could we possibly attempt to live out this command? In my own life, I have never once thought that my ability to love God and others is correlated to my mental wellness. Increasingly, I’m trying to see that everything should be an instrument to make this possibility a reality… and then love can flow freely. 

Contributing Factors to the Crisis 

While there are many contributing factors to this crisis, I do see a few factors rise above the rest. 

Home/Work Life Merged

People have historically been able to easily separate their home lives from their work lives and look to integrate them into a holistic vision of what they are called to. However, with the advances of technology and the “always on” culture, holistic calling no longer exists, and people have no idea how to integrate (or separate) their home/work lives.  

Community Dissipated

Prior to the last few decades, people found themselves part of communities that gave them belonging and safe places to discuss and process life. Neighbors, shop owners, local run-ins—these opportunities have all shrunk, leading to a bottling up of emotions and thoughts. Remote work has also caused many professionals to feel disconnected from community. Increasingly, there is not enough time and space to form deep friendships that lead to deep soul-changing conversations.   

Note, meaningful communities are spaces I feel that Christians take for granted. Many of us do have a small group or community group or whatever your church calls it. Think of the gift of having 10–15 decently well-intentioned folks come to your house every week to ask how your life is and to offer prayer and support in many ways. Non-Christians routinely have nothing that resembles this construct and are struggling even more than we know.