World Mental Health Day is observed annually on 10th October.
Not so long ago, mental health struggles – anxiety, depression, panic attacks and more – were almost invisible. They were whispered about, hidden away or ignored. Thankfully, today there is greater openness, but stigma still lingers and it often takes personal experience – our own or that of someone close – to awaken us.
World Mental Health Day reminds us that mental health matters to all of us. In the UK, one in four adults live with a mental health condition and diagnoses are rising. Behind every statistic is a face, a name, a story. As Christians, we are called to notice, to care and to walk gently with those who carry invisible burdens.
The apostle John prayed for his friend Gaius with these words: ‘Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul’ (3 John 2 ESV). That is a holistic prayer – not just for physical strength, but also for inner well-being. It reminds us that God cares for the whole person: body, mind and spirit.
The mind is a mysterious meeting place of body, soul and spirit. Science has given us remarkable tools, yet there is still no scan that can display a wounded thought or a broken heart. In that mystery, compassion must be our first response.
And yet we cannot ignore how the pressures of modern life can aggravate mental distress. Let me name four cultural pressures and then four ways the church can be a sanctuary rather than a strain.
1. From Performance to Presence
We live in a performance-driven world. Success is flaunted in status updates, possessions and subtle boasting. Those who feel like failures carry an extra weight. Even in church life, we can unintentionally mirror this obsession with flawless services and polished presentations.
But Christ never called his people to put on a show. Paul reminds us, ‘When I am weak, then I am strong’ (2 Corinthians 12:10 NIV). The church is meant to be a family, not a factory; a place where the struggling are not crushed by comparison but comforted by compassion.
2. From Pitiless to Pastoral
Because we prize success, we often scorn failure. Workplaces can discard employees with cold efficiency; society reduces us to digits and logins. Sadly, churches are not immune to this culture, where numbers can eclipse nurture.
But the gospel reveals a Saviour who will not break ‘a bruised reed’ (Matthew 12:20). Our calling is to echo his gentleness to be pastoral, not pitiless. As psychiatrist Viktor Frankl observed, ‘An abnormal reaction to an abnormal situation is normal behaviour.’ In other words, those who struggle are not weak, they are human. The church must be the place where their humanity is embraced.
3. From Pressure to Peace
Our lives are crowded with pings, passwords and pressures. ‘I don’t have time’ has become a modern confession. Yet healing requires time, patience and presence. Churches, too, can become caught in the tyranny of activity, mistaking busyness for godliness.
But Jesus himself often withdrew to quiet places to pray (Luke 5:16). Stillness is not wasted time but sacred space. When churches create rhythms of reflection and prayer, they model peace in a pressured age.
4. From Privacy to Participation
Our communication is instant but shallow: emojis, texts, quick likes. We connect more, but we share less. Many suffer in silence, craving someone who will truly listen.
Here the church must be countercultural – a place where people are known, names are remembered, tears are noticed and stories are heard. This is what Paul envisioned when he urged us to ‘carry each other’s burdens’ (Galatians 6:2 NIV).
The Church as Sanctuary
For centuries, churches were places of sanctuary where fugitives found protection. While the legal meaning has gone, the spiritual one remains. In a world that frays our mental health, the church can be a sanctuary: a place of presence instead of performance; pastoral care instead of pitilessness; peace instead of pressure; participation instead of isolation.
This is our high calling. The church is not a showroom of the flawless but a refuge for the fragile. And when we pray for one another’s well-being – body, soul and spirit – we echo God’s heart for wholeness.
Response Prayer
Lord Jesus, you are the One who calms storms and restores peace. Today we lift before you those carrying hidden battles of the mind and heart. We pray, as John prayed, that it may go well with them and that they may be in good health, as it goes well with their soul. Make your church a true sanctuary, a place of welcome, listening and love. Heal the broken, comfort the weary, strengthen the weak and remind us all that in you we are never alone. In Christ’s name, amen.
Grace and peace,
J.John
