By Brian Crawford
When we hear the name Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., some might highlight his faithful commitment to the Civil Rights Movement. Others might mention his brilliance as an orator. However, few know that as a boy, Mike King (his father would later change his name to Martin), on two separate occasions, threw himself from the second-story window of his childhood bedroom. [1]
King suffered from severe bouts of depression not just as a youth, but as a man leading one of the most significant movements in history. While some of his confidants felt that he should seek therapeutic care, King resisted because he was afraid his malady would be used to derail the cause. [2]
King, sadly, knew us too well.
Christians often wrongly believe that our leaders are superhuman, while scripture testifies to the opposite. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about his “thorn in the flesh” that he pleaded with God on multiple occasions to remove (2 Corinthians 12). The prophet Elijah, after repeatedly demonstrating the power of God, was hunted by Queen Jezebel and faced a darkness of the soul so bleak that he prayed to God to take his life (1 Kings 19). The psalmist sings with tears and anguish, “Why are you downcast, oh my soul?” (Psalm 42).
Mental health struggles run through the Christian story even today. Barna discovered in 2020 that nearly 60 percent of pastors experienced their own semblance of depression. [3]
Proverbs labels this soul malady “a crushed spirit,” and wisdom tells us that when ignored, it surpasses even physical illness (Proverbs 18:14). So, we must not ignore it. Thankfully, scripture doesn’t ask us to.
The Psalms demonstrate how to express not just the joys of our soul to God but also the burdens. So, bring your whole self in worship.
When Elijah is praying to die, God meets him twice with presence, a meal, and a nap before giving him instruction and encouragement that he is not alone (1 Kings 19:11-18). So, don’t neglect self-care.
Paul was given his share of burdens; he urges us not to bear ours alone but to lean on the community God has placed around us (Galatians 6:2). So, bear your burdens with one another.
And the same book of wisdom that diagnoses the crushed spirit urges us to surround ourselves with good counsel (Proverbs 11:14). This could mean specialists for our cars (mechanics), our bodies (physicians), or even our minds (therapists). So, seek therapy when needed.
All of this is to be done not in lieu of prayer, but with full confidence that God administers grace in various ways “to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18), with no way being more valuable than directly seeking His face. So, let us remove the stigmas and gladly embrace all the mercies that He offers.
Brian Crawford serves as lead pastor of City Light Church in Vicksburg and president of Mission Mississippi, a statewide reconciliation ministry working across all 82 counties of the state. He and his wife, Candi, are passionate about building bridges across dividing lines through the power of the gospel.
[1] Eig, Jonathan. King: A Life. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2023
[2] Ghaemi, Nassir. “Martin Luther King: Depressed and Creatively Maladjusted.” Psychology Today, 16 Jan. 2012, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mood-swings/201201/martin-luther-king-depressed-and-creatively-maladjusted
[3] Barna Group. “Pastors, Too, Grapple with Thoughts of Suicide, Self-Harm.” Barna Group, 12 Sept. 2024, www.barna.com/research/pastors-thoughts-suicide-self-harm/.
