Chris Morris | Christian Mental Health
Stories of Mental Illness in the Bible
Mental Health and the Bible
Did you know that many major characters in the Bible had depression and other mental health problems?
Many people think that mature Christians shouldn’t struggle with mental health issues, but a closer look at what the Bible has to say in its stories gives us a different picture entirely. What does the Bible say about depression, anxiety, and having a real bad moment? The pages of Scripture are littered with examples and advice for Christians struggling with mental illness today. Stories of people like Moses, David and (yes) even Jesus teach us how we can live with and understand depression, anxiety, and every mental illness.
Get this free ebook when you subscribe to my monthly newsletter.
Get inspiration directly in your email in-box to encourage you to keep fighting and never give up.
Redefine Normal
Rediscover Hope
Welcome to my Christian mental health website. This is a safe place for followers of Jesus dealing with depression, anxiety, and every mental illness under the sun. If you’ve asked yourself, “if I’m a Christian, why am I depressed?“ or, “where is God when my life is falling apart?“, or “How do I overcome depression biblically“, you’re in the right place. Everything here is written as Christian help for those in the mental illness community as we redefine normal and rediscover hope together. Let’s talk about these two things for just a moment. What does it mean to redefine normal? It means that nobody but you gets to tell you what’s normal and what’s abnormal. You are the arbiter of your own life, and you get to decide that.
For you, maybe a normal day is not getting out of bed until noon because of chronic pain, and having to carefully calculate where you spend your limited energy. If so, I honor your normal here. How about rediscovering hope? So many of us struggle to fell there’s any objective reason for hope in our lives, because, to be honest, our lives stink a lot of the time. It’s full of difficulty and complexity, hard conversations and unmet expectations. But we can find the keys to having hope despite all these setbacks. I spend a lot of time talking the nuts and bolts of hope from a biblical perspective, so it’s more tangible, meaningful, and applicable to real life.
Chris’ Latest Posts
Christian mental health resources for those learning to live with mental illness
The Trinity is FOR Those Struggling with Mental Health Conditions
I don’t usually post my seminary papers here on my site for a lot of reasons, mostly because they’re largely boring to the general populace. I made an exception for this paper. I think this paper is extremely relevant to the folks who are likely to frequent this page. I…
The Trinity is FOR Those Struggling with Mental Health ConditionsRead More
Who Was Depressed in the Bible?
Since the Bible is essentially the history of the heroes of faith and their interactions with God, you might assume that none of these titans of holiness were depressed in the Bible. Perhaps these heroes of faith might have been surrounded by depressed individuals, certainly they must have been immune…
17 Psalms for Depression: The Complete Guide
If you’re like a lot of people, you might feel like the Bible doesn’t have much to say about depression. Well, if that’s you, I’ve got great news for you. Because the Bible is composed of the stories and lives and experiences of real people who actually lived, these very…
We’ve All Got Issues—Practical Ways to Address Mental Illness Struggles in the Church
I have the privilege of sharing my site again with a good friend. Meet Janeen Ippolito: Janeen Ippolito is an award-winning author of bestselling fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. She’s also a mental health/chronic illness survivor and a veteran of Christian ministry who believes in church environments that uplift and grow…
We’ve All Got Issues—Practical Ways to Address Mental Illness Struggles in the ChurchRead More
Until Then (A Guest Post)
I have the honor of sharing my page today with Jessica Seale. Here’s a little bit about Jessica: Jessica Seale is a writer and online mentor from Southern Middle TN. She writes novels, scripts, and essays, mostly on the topics of mental health. She is graduating with her MFA in…
Does Mental Illness Ruin God’s Plans for My Life? (Psalm 139 and Mental Health)
Mental Health Musings on Psalm 139 God made us for a purpose, to accomplish tasks laid out before us. But doesn’t having a mental illness, like depression, schizophrenia, or PTSD, to name a couple, completely throw off God’s plan for our lives? The answer is simple and biblical. No, not…
Does Mental Illness Ruin God’s Plans for My Life? (Psalm 139 and Mental Health)Read More
Not Disqualified but Called
STORIES OF MENTAL ILLNESS IN THE BIBLE The Bible has a lot to say about depression and mental illness. Elijah seemed to battle symptoms of bipolar disorder. King Saul was apparently struggling with major depressive disorder. Nebuchadnezzar glorified God as the giver of all good things after what looked like…
God’s Voice Vs. Other Voices
I’m super excited to share my website with Katie Dale today. Here’s her bio, so you can get to know her a little: Hey there! I’m Katie Dale, familiar with the storms of mental illness, and I blog about my faith and how it has informed my brain-based disorder at KatieRDale.com.…
Depression is NOT Disappointment | How to Help Someone Process Disappointment
Leslie was trying to make it work with her husband. They had been struggling for years. Counseling didn’t seem to help, because neither of them was really willing to change the things that needed to change for their marriage to be better. They had talked with their pastor, but none…
Depression is NOT Disappointment | How to Help Someone Process DisappointmentRead More
Depression is NOT Grief | How to Help Someone Grieve
One of my best friends Alfred called me and told me the terrible news. His dad has suddenly passed from a brain aneurysm. Alfred didn’t know what to do, he didn’t know how to respond, this wasn’t supposed to happen like this. His dad was mostly healthy, and this was…
Depression is NOT Grief | How to Help Someone GrieveRead More
Depression is Not Anger | How To Respond to a Suicidal Friend
Suzanne just thought it would work out differently. She applied for that job, knowing she was more than qualified for it. She rocked the interview and even got immediate feedback from her interviewer telling her to expect a phone call with a job offer in a couple of days. When…
Depression is Not Anger | How To Respond to a Suicidal FriendRead More
Is Depression a Sin? (3 Examples of Depression in the Bible)
Christians and Depression Too often, those in the Church are quick to call depression and other mental illnesses a sin, calling the sick to repent and return to God. It breaks my heart to see this response because there is no other type of illness where this would be acceptable.…
Is Depression a Sin? (3 Examples of Depression in the Bible)Read More
Is This For Me?
Life with Psychogenic Seizures
Two Things I Learned About the Church in the Psych Ward
What People Are Saying
Whispers in the Pews “I cannot imagine Jesus scolding someone with a mental illness, telling them to just get over it, try harder, memorize more verses. No, He would listen. He would love. He would be filled with compassion. And even He was deemed mentally ill in his time, his… Read more “Mary DeMuth”
Perfectly Abnormal “Perfectly Abnormal is one of those books that should be required reading for churches longing to provide a welcoming environment for all their members. And it should be required reading for any human who wants to love, empathize, and walk in the shoes of another. I so appreciated… Read more “Mary DeMuth (Perfectly Abnormal)”
Perfectly Abnormal “I highly recommend this book to any person or family trying to deal with a chronic illness. In its pages you will find practical help to move forward, and hope to experience a life worth living. Over the past few years I have witnessed the pain and sorrow… Read more “Marty Kaiser”
Whispers in the Pews “I am ridiculously excited for the stories in this book to be shared. There is an incredible need to discuss the reality of mental illness and how the church can improve how it addresses… Read more “Colleen English”
Whispers in the Pews “Chris Morris has compiled honest and raw stories that give sight into the heart of many Christians who have battled, or are battling, mental illness. Whispers in the Pews brings to light that mental health matters and how it hasn’t always mattered in the Christian community,… Read more “Shawn Elizabeth George”
Whispers in the Pews “Finally, someone is speaking out on a deep and important issue that simply does not get talked about enough in our faith communities. Thank you, Chris, for your honesty and bravery. May these words move us all to deeper and more compassionate… Read more “Jeff Goins”
Whispers in the Pews “Compassion is the antidote to stigma, and it only begins when we hear the stories of real men and women who suffer from mental illness. Chris Morris is doing the church a tremendous service with this book. It should be required reading for anyone who considers… Read more “David Edward Cummings”
