Theology Of Mental Health 02 | Flourishing
Introduction—Mental Health in the Biblical Story.
Mental health is not something that humans created or discovered in the modern world. Mental health is deeply rooted in the ancient biblical story. Mental health and every bit of human flourishing was God's design. He created well-being. He created our minds. He created our emotions. He created relationships. He created us to be in a relationship with him. To understand mental health, we have to understand God's intent for creation and the story of mental health within the biblical story.
The Bible tells a story of mental health from Genesis through Revelation. There is a mental health meta-narrative in scripture. From the story of creation to the fall to the death and resurrection of Jesus, the story of well-being threads through the Bible.
Within this meta-narrative are three significant moments.
Let’s look at the first significant moment—Mental Health at Creation | God’s design for human flourishing.
Mental Health at Creation | Flourishing
Mental health at creation is the story of God's design for human well-being and flourishing. I don't believe that we can fully understand mental health or find a deep sense of well-being without understanding how God created us as humans to function at our best.
The essential question of mental health at creation is: what does it mean to be human?
There are some essential highlights of the creation story that give us a full-understanding of what it means to be human and what it looks like to flourish as a human.
The Image of God
God created humans in his image. The image of God is foundational to understanding mental health.
In Genesis 1-2, God created everything. A world functioning in harmony with his design. A world flourishing at it's highest potential. A world full of life. A world without imperfections. A world that was void of pain and suffering. A world where humans lived in harmony with God's image and likeness. A world with no sin.
The pinnacle moment in God's creation story was the creation of humans.
"Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.' So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." - Genesis 1:26-27 (NIV)
God created humans in his image. The image of God is often called the imago dei. This is the Latin transliteration of image of God. What stands out about the image of God in the creation story is that only humans were created in God's image. Humans were designed distinctly to be like God. We are like God in the sense that he created us to reflect his nature. He loves, we love. He feels, we feel. He forgives, we forgive. He is a relational being, we are relational beings. We are also like God in the sense that we are his representatives in this world. We image God to creation by representing his nature and creative design for this world. You could say that God is the lead character in the creation story, and he chose to make us co-lead characters as well. God is the central character. And he chose us to be people who reflect and represent him throughout creation. Understanding the image of God is foundational for human well-being. We cannot flourish in our well-being if we are living contrary to his nature and his design for humans.
Body & Soul
God created humans as multi-faceted beings. We were created with a body and soul. These core components of being human are foundational to mental health.
Genesis 2 is a more thorough account of God creating humans in Genesis 1. These chapters are not chronological in sequence. They are thematic. Genesis 1 is the entire story of creation. Genesis 2 is the detailed story of God creating humans. Think of Genesis 1 as a 30,000 ft. view. Think of Genesis 2 as a 3 ft. view.
There are two moments in God's creation of humans that are essential to understand in relationship to mental health.
"Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." - Genesis 2:7 (NIV)
Genesis 2:7 tells us that we were created "from the dust of the ground" and God "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."
First, dust is representative of humans having a material part to them. God created our bodies. We are physical, embodied beings. The human body was created with brilliant complexity. This the material part of being human. Some of which we can see, and some of which we cannot see apart from imaging and surgeries. You can see skin. You cannot see a kidney. You can see a foot. You cannot see the nerves in a foot. You can see a face. You cannot see a brain. Our body serves as valuable purpose in our well-being.
Second, breath of life is representative of humans having an immaterial part to them. God created our soul. We are living beings with a soul. The human soul was also created with brilliant complexity. This is the immaterial part of being human. All of which you cannot see. You cannot see a person's thoughts. You cannot see a person's emotions. You cannot see the longings in a human heart. You cannot see the decision-making process inside the human soul. You can see the overflow of these inner realities in a person’s choices, habits and relational interactions. These are immaterial aspects. The human soul has many parts to it. It is the place that God breathed life into. It is the place we have thoughts. It is the place we feel emotions. It is the place we have capacity for relationships. It is the place we worship. It is the place we form habits. It is the place we have personality. Our soul serves a valuable purpose in our well-being.
We learn two important truths about God’s design of our body and soul.
God created humans as multifaceted beings. We have a body with all of its parts and we have a soul with all of its parts. He created us with a physical body and all of its biological functions. He created us with a soul and all of it’s functions. He created our brain with the capacity to think. He created us with the capacity to feel a wide array of emotions. He created us as a relational being so that we could thrive in relationships and community. And He created us with a spiritual capacity to be in relationship with him. All of these aspects are foundational for mental health.
God also created humans as integrated beings. This means that each part of being human is not an island to itself. Each facet of being human influences the whole. Our body influences our soul. Our senses—touch, taste, sight, hearing, and smell—influence our thinking and emotions. Physical health challenges can deeply influence our thoughts, emotions and sense of identity. Physical exercise influences our brain and affects how we feel. Our soul also influences our body. Trauma is felt in the body long after the traumatic event. How we process stress internally influences how we feel in our body physically. The health of our relationships affect how our body feels.
Every part of what it means to be human is interdependent. We have a body and we have a soul. These are not compartmentalized parts of us. They are designed to be integrated. And they have influence on all parts of our well-being. In other words, what happens in your soul affects your body and what happens in you body affects your soul. This interdependency in all parts of being human is how God designed us to flourish.
Relationships
God created human beings as relational beings. We are designed to flourish in relationships. This core component of being human is foundational to mental health.
"The Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.'" - Genesis 2:18. (NIV)
Genesis 2:18 tells us that "it is not good for man to be alone." Most of us think of this statement in terms of dating or marriage. At a foundational level, this statement is not about dating or marriage. This was a statement that God made because the first human he created was alone. We cannot flourish alone. The "not good" relates to our nature as relational beings. God is a relational being. And humans created in his image are relational beings. We cannot flourish in our well-being without relationships. And God created relationships to contribute to our flourishing. That means relationships were designed to be healthy and a reflection of God's nature. What did healthy relationships look like in the beginning? They looked like God. They were a reflection of God and his nature. We were created to relate to others as God relates to us.
Relationships are an essential part of mental health. Healthy relationships cause us to flourish and find joy. Unhealthy relationships cause us pain and deep internal stress. Healthy relationships bring us healing. And unhealthy relationships bring us suffering. Healthy relationships cause us to feel well. Unhealthy relationships cause us to feel unwell.
All of this to say that humans are created in God's image, as multi-faceted, beautifully complex, integrated, and relational beings. These components of being human are foundational to our mental health. This is essentially what it means to be human. Being human means that each one of us is created in the image of God. We have a divine imprint and design upon our body, soul and relational capacity to be thriving humans.
Relationship with God
God created humans to be in relationship with Him. We were created for our lives to be centered on the most important relationship—our relationship with God. This is the foundation of mental health.
Our relationship with God is central to our mental health.
In Genesis 1-2, humans were created in the image of God to live with God and for God. God is central to the entirety of the creation story, and humans were created as the pinnacle of his creation. They were with him and deeply connected to him.
"Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day." - Genesis 3:8 (NIV)
This was a picture of the everyday experience of the first two humans in the garden. God was with them. And they were with God. Human well-being and flourishing existed because they were in relationship with God and living according to God's design. God as the creator and designer of humans is the foundation for mental health. The spiritual aspect of mental health is the foundation of human life. We need God to flourish in our well-being.
Working
God created humans to work. Work enables us to contribute to the world that God’s created and have purpose. We were created with talents and gifts that contribute to our work and purpose. Work and purpose are core components to mental health.
"God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.'" - Genesis 1:28 (NIV)
"The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." - Genesis 2:15 (NIV)
Work was a foundational part of God's design for human life. God shared his rule with humans. And God shared the gift of work and purpose with humans. Men and women were created to be stewards, caretakers and creators within God's creation. Work is an essential part of being human. And within our work we have opportunity to reflect God and do good. It gives us purpose and vision for our lives. God designed work to have this intrinsic purpose. And purpose was a major factor of the well-being of human beings. Life void of purpose deeply affects the human soul. Without purpose we cannot flourish in our well-being. We need purpose to flourish.
Resting
God created humans to work. And God created humans to rest. Rest is a core component to mental health.
"Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." - Genesis 2:1-3 (NIV)
God rested after his creation work. He completed his creation work. And he found satisfaction and joy in his work. God's sabbath became the prototype for human sabbath. A day to cease from our work and rest. A day to rest, and find satisfaction and joy in the work we accomplished that week. And most importantly, a day to center our hearts and lives on God, because our hope is not in our work rather our hope is in God. God wired into creation the rhythm of work and rest. We often become imbalanced when we don’t live within the rhythms of work and rest. Rest is essential to our well-being.
Rest is a gift. And rest was rhythmic in God's design.
A daily rhythm of rest. God gifted us with sleep each day.
A weekly rhythm of rest. God gifted us with a sabbath day each week.
Yearly rhythms of rest. God gifted his people with religious celebrations that allowed his people to cease from work, get away and center their hearts on him.
These were rhythms of rest intended to help our soul and body flourish.
All of these elements of God’s design for humans were for human flourishing. We were designed to exist in a state of well-being in all areas of our life. That was God’s intent. That was God’s design. That was God’s heart.
We were created to be people flourishing in our well-being.
Check out Theology of Mental Health 03 | Suffering.
There Are Better Days Ahead.
Much Love + Peace,
Wesley Towne, Founder