To the Woman Struggling With Her Mental Health

If I could go back in time, I wish I could tell the woman in this photo that she didn’t need to hide her pain behind that beautiful smile.

I wish I could tell her that her past mistakes don’t define her. That only God can define her and that He has a purpose for her. I would make sure she knows how much she is loved by Him.

I wish I could tell her to stop running away from herself. And to stop running away from others too.

I wish I could tell her that her mental illness does not make her unworthy of God, that He remains close to us in our trials in life. I would tell her how there’s no mountain she’s gone over that God didn’t lead the way for her.

I wish I could tell her to love herself more. To worry less about what the rest of the world thinks of her and to see all the beauty that’s in her.

I wish I could tell her what was coming. All that God had planned for her, so she could see that there were so many blessings just around the corner.

I wish I could go back and tell my past self all these things as I struggled with my mental health and my faith.

But the past is still the past.

And the journey I went through brought me to where I am today.

I can’t tell my past self these things.

But I can tell the woman reading this who is struggling with her mental health . . .

You are loved.

You are worthy.

You are beautiful.

God is with you through it all.

And better yet, He has a plan.

It gets better.

(If you are currently experiencing depression or have had thoughts of suicide, please reach out for help. You are not alone. There are doctors and counselors that God has given the gift of medicine and knowledge to that want to help you. God does not want you to suffer alone. Please call 1-800-950-NAMI to speak with someone at the National Alliance on Mental Health. And if you know someone who is experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts, please share this to spread the message.)