Struggling with mental illness – alone for years – was slowly breaking me down from the inside out. Nearly two decades of hiding and struggling in silence had made my depression and anxiety define and dictate who I was.

In addition, growing up in the church the conversations I heard about mental illness always seemed to carry with it a stigma and shame. As if those who struggle with depression or anxiety must not be spiritual enough to be going through something like that. As a Pastor’s Kid this just made me hide behind masks of image and perfection and people pleasing, in an attempt to make others think that I was “good enough.” Yet none of those brought relief from the pain inside.

However, in my lowest moment, where I least expected it – Love found me. I realize that though some people had cast a stigma and shame on mental illness – God did not. God offered me love, hope, healing, restoration, and purpose. He broke down every lie this illness tried to make me believe about myself.