In The Waiting Nthabiseng Moncho

So in this episode we carry on! A little less complaining alot more solution. Like what can we do to be more inclusive of mental health and church trauma. Its a continuation of the chat I had with Ms Risuna dropping bars and faith based psyche gems. About church narratives around mental health as well as importance of having your own personal relationship with God, because the heart of God can get misinterpreted in church, mental health can get stigmatized and toxic theology can ensue without you realising later leading to trauma,exploitation and abuse. so we calling our leaders to training because they are dealing with real people who need help holistically, thus emotional awareness an understanding of psyche and empathy could go a long way. Furthermore we touch briefly on the double stigma of being black and christian and dealing with a mental health issue, I hope you enjoy thank you to Ms Risuna.

oh and montellFish Alllll the waaaaaaaaaaaaay! #imagination.

Lets Get Real here, We will always be tempted, forever inclined to sin and always go through seasons of challenges and affliction, and as result negative emotions, cognitive dissonance, and inward conflict will always surface.
God didn't ask you to be perfect but to seek after and regard him throughout your life.He never expemted us from being afflicted by the happenings of life, He never said we won't be tempted but He did say He won't give you more than you can handle and He did say He will forever be present through every season. some matters are a matter of choice, and deep rooted negative experiences, not only rooted to sin, or that cause us to stumble, (Romans 7), sometimes we give the enemy too much credit, instead of just taking control and confronting our issues we over-spiritualize them to bypass having to deal with the grievance, the pain, the anger, the frustration, we don't acknowledge our human experience as christians because we're trying to falsely fortify our faith in the name of being a Good Christian and not giving in or giving negative emotions too much power. little do we know that by bypassing those very emotions and impulsive self-sabotaging behaviours that result from those emotions , we refuse to acknowledge or deal with the root of them but cover them up in prayer and biblical affirmations. However sometimes those very things God is calling you to address, not cover up. It's okay to admit to God that you are not doing okay, dont use God , the church, Bible study and worship music to run away from the pain. You have a father that understands that as much as you are spirit, you are flesh and soul and you will be afflicted and challenged by matters of the flesh in this world in this realm, but you look to him, not to use him to escape...not to use him as a drug but as your helper, healer and counsellor, He is friend and father.....He knows He doesn't judge you for your feelings and emotions.....and we can't be dismissive of our negative human emotions in the name of being a Good christian. We need spaces in church to be able to feel and talk through negative experiences safely without condemnation, as things never get addressed, negative emotions are more often than not taught to be relentlessly prayed over and yes prayer helps but it is talking and addressing that will heal a would and break a pattern of thinking that and behaviour that is much needed in our churches.

Lets talk about it! Its real, its as real as a broken leg and a tumourous cancer that we pray over for healing. Mental health is a real challenge. Being christian doesnt make you exempt from it and dealing with it doesn't make you any less of a christian. So Im here for the next couple of episodes to talk about, why can the church and psychology not work coherently for both mental and spiritual well-being. Your spirituality is the most important aspect that shapes your perspective as well as your view of the world. Hence why mental health and spiritual health are not not mutually exclusive. Lets debunk the myth and stigma that inviting psychology into the church is inviting a secular culture, that you lack faith because you're depressed, that you don't trust God because you're anxious, that you worship two Gods because you're an alcoholic some behaviour cannot be simplified to sin and sin alone without a backstory. Some behaviours without you knowing may be the product of a negative experience, or trauma in or outside the church, sometimes its not enough to spiritually bypass, and diminish someones pain, depression, addiction or grievance to a singular religious understanding that they are sinful, prayer is the place to seek help and alleviate, but it should not used to diminish and problematize someones mental frustrations. therapy I believe can be a vessel ushered by God into a place of healing. God cannot be limited to a singular church cultue or practice He cannot be defined by one mans perspective God can use all and all of His creation for your betterment and mental health to him you lack nothing but need him, and when you need him He does not come in judgement, He does not come to shame but come to reconcile and bring relief, I believe God He is all understanding of His creation and the complexities of human emotion, the subsconscious and how negative experiences can harm such places, thus leaders need to understand where their role ends and begins they are not here to save, not here to play messiah but to teach in a voice that is humble and submitted to God. There they will know that a person is a holisitic being in need of health in all of its different facet, spiritual, physical and mental. I pray this episode bless you with revelation and understanding its time to understand a freeing love of God.

After my last conversation I started to ask whats next after you get to a point where you relent trying to save yourself from your own sin, when you stop, drop and roll and let go of the mentality of trying to fix yourself and appease God and accept that yes you're flawed and your human. And So I searched and I found by the grace of God and the internet my new friends, I'm featuring here called your favourite heretics and they helped me articulate, discuss and unpack not only why and where the mentality of appeasing God may have rooted from in my walk but also what happens and how most importantly how it affects your relationship with God, and how setting up a bar of expectation for yourself to live accordingly, can lead to a toxic pattern of perpertually disappointing yourself and self-resentement which in turn affects,Coherently your mental and spiritual health. God is God of love, of freedom and his burden is light His yoke is easy, His love is not to confine and punish, nor is it burdensome. And we unpack this through deconstruction and toxic theologies that have imparted the burden of expectation and appeasement.

In this episode, a close friend and I will be exploring the spaces and engaging in experiences that taught us to put our guards down, there is no need to play perfect with God, He is well aware of your short-comings, even before they happen. We explore those moments where we were in and still in the pits , drunk of saturday and altar call on sunday. You are flawed but it will never take away from the love and Grace God has for you.

A little about where it all started, chat about the burdening idea of perfection, worth, and an unstable christian foundation. Join me in this 2 segment episode with input from a friend on how the foundation of their christianity shaped their outlook and relationship with God.