NatashaElizabethpatty

  Confession Sunday changed my life. To be honest, I almost didn’t go through with it. I felt ashamed of my sins and terrified that people—especially my parents—would be disappointed in me. The idea of opening up to someone at church made my heart race. But that day’s sermon kept echoing in my mind, and eventually, I knew I had to confess. Before the Confession: The Weight of Silence In my previous article, Beyond Guilt, I shared how overwhelming my feelings were. Before confessing, fear and anxiety followed me everywhere. People around me could even sense how nervous I was. According to TheWellReads.com, prolonged guilt can create an “emotional avalanche” that leads to anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. For a long time, I believed that staying silent was safer. But silence slowly kills hope, honesty, and peace. I still remember the preaching that day: “Openness creates a path to healing.” And that was the invitation I needed. During the Confession: Letting Everything Go I m...

  As a Christian living with mental illness, I’ve learned something many people don’t want to say out loud: prayer alone isn’t always enough. In my previous article, I shared how I was almost subjected to an exorcism simply because I was hearing voices — a symptom of my mental health condition. This happened not because I lacked faith, but because of harmful misconceptions in the church about mental illness. Why Do Some Believers Avoid Professional Help? Many Christians struggle to reach out for professional mental health care. Here are two common reasons why: 1. Pressure to “Just Pray More” or “Have More Faith” In many churches, mental illness is wrongly seen as a purely spiritual issue — something that can be fixed if you just pray harder . But while prayer is powerful, it isn’t a substitute for therapy, medication, or professional support. 🧠 Mental illness is not always a spiritual attack — sometimes it’s a medical condition. You don’t cure diabetes with just prayer —...