Author and pastor Jarrid Wilson is on a mission to guide the church toward better addressing mental health issues, appealing to his own past story of depression and suicidal thoughts to guide believers toward more robust conversations on the topic.
Wilson, whose new book “Love Is Oxygen: How God Can Give You Life and Change” releases next month, recently appeared on “Pure Talk,” a faith-based talk show from Pure Flix and Faithwire, where he shared more details about his story and the mission he’s on to help people struggling with mental health.
“The whole concept of the book is, it opens up with my struggle and battle with depression, thoughts of suicide, me sitting in my car Googling ‘painless ways to commit suicide’ when I was 19 years old,” he said. “[And] my encounter with God’s love in my life.”
Wilson said that mental health is still a topic that isn’t on the docket in many parts of the Christian world, arguing that the church needs to do a better and more robust job of helping those who struggle with various mental issues.
“It’s something that the Christian world has yet to talk about,” he said.
While some churches simply encourage those struggling to pray, Wilson said that there are times in which medical assistance and counseling is needed.
“Prayer is a powerful tool, but prayer doesn’t always heal,” he said.
Watch Wilson reveal details of his own story as well as his quest to help others below: