Chapter 1 - One United Whole (The Wholehearted Journey)

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Do you ever feel as though you're putting on a facade of cheerfulness and confidence, while deep inside you're crumbling under the weight of anxiety and depression? If that resonates, you're not alone. We're opening up a conversation about the very real struggle with mental health issues faced by many believers and Christians, as we delve into the personal journey of a pastor who appeared to have it all, yet was on the brink of losing everything to internal turmoil. The struggle is real, and it's time we talked about it.

This powerful episode takes you through this pastor's journey from fear and despair, to resilience and restoration. We explore the alarming reality that, as per a 2020 Barna study, 54% of practicing Christians admit to facing emotional or relational mental health issues that impact their lives. And no, simply attending church isn't solving the problem. So, where does the solution lie? In this candid conversation, we highlight the path to restoration, the untapped strength within us, and the route to the better life Jesus promised. Do stay with us for an episode that's about providing strength and comfort to those feeling lost or alone. For a deeper insight into this journey, head to JoelJohnsonorg to download free chapters or audiobook chapters, including the inspiring forward by John Eldridge.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

Chapter 1 One United Hole. You're so exhausting to be around right now, my wife declared, slouched at the kitchen table. I stopped scribbling in my journal and slowly made eye contact You're stressing me out, casey lamented as she walked out of the room. Those words were difficult to hear, but entirely true she was right. Internally, I was in a really bad space and during that season I was exhausting to live with. My deep drift into melancholy had taken its toll on our marriage. Still hunched in my chair, I envisioned where this might lead if I didn't soon deal with my disheartening. In my mind flashed a series of disparaging portraits, and them. I was partnerless, isolated and alone. These snapshots felt conclusive. Like I was scrolling through the headline photos of an electronic news feed. I sat at the kitchen table inundated by all those images, feeling like this would be the lonesome conclusion of my life. Then, in that vulnerable moment, I picked up my pen. I pressed it hard to the paper of my journal and wrote with defiant conviction this is not how my story ends.

Speaker 1: 1:26

Jesus promised his followers a rich and satisfying life, or, as the message has it, a better life than they ever dreamed of Not long ago. The life I was living was far from the one I had imagined for myself, let alone better than I had ever dreamed of. On the surface, everything was fine I was pastoring at a growing church, the father of two beautiful children and married to the love of my life. But underneath the appearance of this good life, I was falling apart. The first sign of my internal distress surfaced a year prior to Casey's declaration you're so exhausting to be around right now. It happened during an intense executive meeting at the church. I was asked a question, but when I endeavored to respond, my chin trembled and my voice shook. I couldn't control my body. I squeaked out my response with timid ambivalence. This trembling was the start of what would become a near weekly occurrence For a guy who's spoken before millions, captivated sold out arenas and stadiums and had always managed to calmly articulate an answer, even when being grilled by television hosts or reporters. I was horrified to now be stumbling over my words. I felt embarrassed, childish and out of control. Something had broken and I didn't know how to put the pieces back together again. I was losing my composure, my confidence and my voice. This was foreign territory for me. Simple willpower wasn't working. Prayer helped, but it wasn't healing it. This was definitely not the life I had envisioned for myself, and I found myself wondering where this better life Jesus had promised was. When I think back to that moment, that day where I was slouched at the kitchen table man, I wasn't such a bad space, I was so unhealthy, but God used it and it definitely it wasn't the life that I had imagined for myself. Here's the truth of it. So many believers, just like myself, are waking up, just like I did, lost in the wilds of a life they never imagined for themselves. They were asking, like I was asking, where is the better life that Jesus promised? And this isn't just my friends, this is pastors, parishioners.

Speaker 1: 4:02

More and more and more Christians are battling depression All the stats show it. Anxiety, a variety of other mental health issues. Right now, 54% of practicing Christians say they have at least one relational or emotional mental health issue that impacts the relationship. That's from Barna, a study they did in 2020. I mean, let that sink in for a moment. Right? What this means is that over half of your church, faith, community and family think about that, your family. That hits home. Right. They're likely combating an internal issue right now, at this very moment. And this statistic it doesn't even include the people and the huge percentage of believers who aren't even aware that they have an internal issue residing within.

Speaker 1: 5:00

In light of this, it's not surprising that more and more believers and Christians report experiencing dissatisfaction, discontentment and disappointment with their life and, regrettably, attending church more regularly isn't remedying it. In fact, 50% of churchgoers today report often feeling more disappointed after attending a service. How disheartening is that? That means there are millions of believers who faithfully attend church, yet will never fully experience the better life Jesus offered, a life he described as abundant, satisfying, full and free, and this is really where the whole hearted journey book comes in. This is the need that it fulfills, and we're praying that it will reach people who are isolated alone, that it will bust out of the four walls of the church and reach those who are hurting and those who are needing healing. This information should really enlarge all of our compassion for everyone in our spheres, including ourselves.

Speaker 1: 6:19

Yes, it's important to extend copious amounts of compassion towards yourself because, statistically speaking, there's a good chance that, just like I, discovered that underneath your apparent good life, there's a hidden region of your heart that needs to be made whole, as I experienced through my own crisis and, as you'll learn later, those wounded regions of the soul can be fully restored. I discovered that my tears, timid ambivalence, my chin trembling were all eternal signs alerting me to a broken place within One I could not see then. What I learned through my own restoration was that much of what I needed was already inside of me, predestined by God, yet untapped, unknown, unintegrated and unrestored. The path from my limited way of living to a better way required me to acknowledge the unexplored terrain of my own soul, and you will need to go on the same journey if you hope to experience the better life Jesus prepared for you. If you'd like to read the very gracious forward from John Eldridge, chapter one and the introduction, you can head to JoelJohnsonorg, where you can download the chapters or the audiobook chapters for free.