We live in a fast-paced, image-driven world. We live in a world where the smiles must always be bright, where faith must always be strong and where our prayers must always be confident. But … what happens when we feel broken, weary, anxious or distant from God? Too often we succumb to those external pressures which demand that we hide our pain and pretend to be ‘fine’ even when we are not. But, scripture tells a different story, a story that reminds us: It’s okay to not be okay!
Throughout the gospel narrative, Jesus consistently draws near to those who are hurting. He meets the woman at the well in her shame (John 4); the bleeding woman in her despair (Mark 5); the disciples in their fear and doubt (John 20). Jesus does not wait for people to get their lives together before extending grace. Instead, he brings healing because they are not okay.
Jesus said: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Jesus does not say: Come to me when you are strong! His invitation is to those who are feeling weak and overwhelmed. Jesus does not despise our weakness, instead he welcomes it and offers a level of relief that can come from nowhere else.
In his psalms, King David, described as a man after God’s own heart, wrote of anguish, doubt, anger and sorrow. He did not hide his emotions; he brought them to God in raw honesty. In Psalm 10, verse 1, we read: Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? And, in Psalm 42, verse 3, we read: My tears have been my food day and night …These are not the words of someone who is ‘okay’. These are the cries of someone struggling – and yet, they are part of sacred scripture. In God’s world there is room for lament, reminding us that vulnerability before God is not weakness, it is worship.
The early Church, as described in the Acts of the Apostles, was marked by its authenticity, its vulnerability and its shared burdens. Today, however, churches can sometimes feel like places where only the ‘perfect’ belong. But, if the Church were to reflect the true heart of Christ, then it would see itself primarily as a refuge for the broken – a place where it is safe to say: I’m not okay right now! In his letter to the Galatians, Paul wrote: “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.” We fulfil God’s law not by perfection, but by having compassion.
Rather than hiding our struggles, scripture encourages us to boast of them, because that is where God’s grace becomes most visible. Our pain can be the very place where God becomes evident in the most powerful ways; the place where he reminds us, and those around us, that he is near to the broken-hearted.
If you are reading this as you are travelling through a time of sadness, anxiety, doubt or exhaustion – take heart. Your feelings of weakness have nothing to do with failure. You are human, and your Saviour understands that. Jesus himself wept; Jesus was betrayed; Jesus sweat blood in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus has been there before you – he knows what it feels like to not be okay!
It is our calling, in our community, in our churches and in our hearts, to stop pretending and to start embracing grace. A place where we can say with courage and compassion: It’s okay to not be okay. You are not alone; and you are deeply and endlessly loved.