Will God be Mad at Me if I Go to Counseling?

Sally had been raised to believe that she could only trust her parents and church and that reaching out to outsiders could lead her into sin.  It was as if God was waiting for one misstep from her to disqualify her from the faith.  However, the Bible says that love keeps no records of wrongs and that God is love.  So, when Sally wanted to reach out for professional mental health care, she was nervous.  Unfortunately, there is a toxic belief out there in some Christian circles that implies that getting psychological help is not okay with God.  While a human counselor will never be the Ultimate Counselor as Jesus is, and trusting in anything more than trusting in God can be sin, God isn’t likely getting mad if you choose to go to counseling.  In fact, He likely rejoices when you find a professional who is ethical and skilled and can do their job well and show up to serve and help you.  So, if you’ve encountered well-meaning but misinformed people who advise against Christian believers getting counseling, you may want to consider how that advice is actually contrary to God’s character.

5 Reasons Counseling Is Okay With God

God made the brain, the body, and the emotions- He knows how they work and function, and He knows how they heal.  He know the spiritual and the mental, the relational and the internal, the thoughts and the feelings, and Genesis tells us His creation is good.  So, if the study of the mind, ie. Psychology, is the study of how our human brain, nervous system, and experience works, doesn’t it make sense that it works because God designed it and metaphorically wrote the users manual?

This leads to another fundamental reason that I don’t believe God is mad at you for seeking therapeutic help…

All truth is God’s truth- If something is true, we are to think on such things, and every good and perfect gift comes from God above, and God came for us to have life and have it abundantly.  If God designed us, and He gave us the Bible to instruct us on how to live this life best, then, we can trust His words as truth.  If science or psychology has hit upon anything that works, it only works because it is based in the laws of the universe, how humans are designed by Him, and how our systems heal.

So, if something truly works, truly heals, and is true, it is in the fabric of the universe, and created by God Himself, even the study of the brain.

We are made in God’s image, and Jesus is the Mighty Counselor- So, it stands to reason that some human beings would carry the counseling traits of God’s Holy Spirit.  For this reason, it seems reasonable to conclude that at least there are some counselors who have been gifted by God himself to comfort and come alongside others.

God’s Word says that “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” – God made us for community.  We are each members of one body, and each person has gifts to serve and minister to others as equipped from the Lord.  The Bible also tells us that two are better than one, as when one falls, the other can help him up.  

Finally, God’s Word says that there is, therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” – So, if you need counseling help, God already knows your need.  He is already with you right where you are, and He is not mad at you for getting support and healing.  He likely already has someone perfectly positioned to help you get your mental health care needs met.

Let us be that help from God to you, contact us at: 541-275-0412