Thread by @ItsTheSafePlace

I've been holding on to this for awhile now, but today I feel ready to fully address it without fear or judgment, because this is no longer just about me, but more so about the mental health of black people who are believers and go to church. So here it goes...

Just about every time I make the statement "you can't just pray away mental health issues", someone black involved in the church attacks me in some way, and I will not keep taking it.

They will either say "You haven't been praying hard enough", " Well praying helps me so you shouldn't be saying this", or "That's just the devil talking". I delete those types of comments people send me, but I always remember them.

I remember the worst is when a black woman I use to associate with, text me NINE back to back messages at 7am in the morning a few months ago when I posted a picture on social media of me wearing a shirt saying "No, I can't just pray away my mental Illness".

She basically told me what I'm saying isn't true or biblical, and tried to imply that I was telling people they couldn't pray about their mental health (even though the bible clearly says faith without works is dead. I guess she skipped that scripture while trying to condemn me.)

I also spoke to a church advisor a few months ago about my spiritual health.(The one who text me back to back recommended her to me). When I mentioned my mental health history and advocacy to her, all she had to say was "The only thing that can fix that is the blood of Jesus"

She also went on to say "Our mission shouldn't be to go and treat mental health issues, but to be completely delivered by the blood of Jesus only". She said that even though people with physical illnesses in the church are prayed for, but are also expected to see a doctor.

I'm a person of faith myself, I pray everyday, but I also have a mental health history of clinical depression that goes back nearly eleven years. I'm NOT cured from depression, I'm in recovery and some people think that means I don't get depressed anymore, but that's false.

I still deal with it, but now I just know better what steps to take when I'm in that situation. I still pray through that, but guess what? I STILL need mental health resources, I still need help at times, and I STILL HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF MYSELF, OR I CAN BECOME SUICIDAL AGAIN.

The black community needs to wake up when it comes to this. A lot of black people in the church pray all the time, and still have mental health issues. That doesn't make them any less of a devoted believer in God, just because they need mental health services.

Statements like "just pray" are LITERALLY Killing people in the black community. I feel God gave me a purpose and passion in this world is to speak about mental health issues.

I cannot care who gets offended with my statement anymore, because I'm more concerned about saving lives than receiving judgement from self righteous people.

I'm a black woman who prays often, believes in God, but STILL has mental health issues, and that's ok to admit. Our community needs to learn that THE AMOUNT OF PRAYING YOU DO DOESN'T AUTOMATICALLY STOP YOU FROM HAVING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES.

Please stop thinking by saying "I can't JUST pray" it means you lack faith in God, or in yourself because it doesn't! Your lack of compassion and understanding towards others is literally killing people within the black community, and I'm pretty sure God isn't pleased with that