Mental Wellness and Relationship with Jesus the Healer

Mental Wellness and a Relationship with Jesus the Healer

By Toni Weisz/Spiritual Disciplines

Scriptures: Matthew 11:28 (NIV)
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

In the journey of mental wellness, many people are searching for more than coping strategies—they are searching for true, lasting peace. For those navigating the emotional aftermath of trauma, including abortion or abuse, healing often requires both practical support and spiritual restoration. A relationship with Jesus as Healer offers a powerful source of comfort, renewal, and stability for the mind.

Understanding Mental Wellness After Trauma

Mental wellness after trauma involves caring for your thoughts, emotions, and overall psychological health. Trauma can leave lasting imprints—such as anxiety, intrusive thoughts, depression, or feelings of guilt and shame. These mental patterns can feel overwhelming, especially when they persist over time.

Mental wellness is not about ignoring these struggles. It’s about learning how to respond to them in healthy ways—developing awareness, building resilience, and creating new thought patterns that support healing. This is where both intentional habits and spiritual connection become essential.

Jesus the Healer and the Mind

A relationship with Jesus is not only spiritual—it deeply impacts mental and emotional health. Throughout Scripture, Jesus is shown as a healer of the whole person—body, mind, and heart. He meets people in their brokenness and brings restoration, not condemnation.

When the mind is burdened with anxiety, guilt, or pain, turning to Jesus can bring a sense of peace that goes beyond circumstances. His presence offers rest for overwhelmed thoughts and comfort in moments of emotional distress. For many, this relationship becomes an anchor during seasons of mental instability.

Renewing the Mind Through Faith

One of the most powerful aspects of mental wellness and faith is the concept of renewing the mind. Trauma often plants negative beliefs—about self-worth, safety, or identity. These beliefs can become deeply ingrained.

Through a relationship with Jesus, those thoughts can begin to shift. Replacing lies with truth—such as moving from “I am broken” to “I am being restored”—is a key part of healing. This process takes time, but it creates lasting mental and emotional change.

Spending time in prayer, reading Scripture, or sitting in quiet reflection allows truth to take root and reshape how you think and feel.

Practical Ways to Strengthen Mental Wellness

While faith is foundational, daily practices also play an important role in supporting mental health. Combining both creates a balanced approach to healing:

Prayer and Quiet Time: Helps calm anxious thoughts and create mental clarity
Journaling: Allows you to process emotions and track your healing journey
Community Support: Encourages connection and reduces isolation
Healthy Boundaries: Protects your mental and emotional space

These habits, paired with faith, help build consistency and strength in your mental wellness journey.

Healing from Guilt, Shame, and Emotional Pain

For those walking through post-abortion and/or abuse recovery, mental struggles often center around guilt, shame, or self-blame. These emotions can be deeply rooted and difficult to release.

This is where Jesus as Healer becomes especially significant. His message is one of forgiveness, grace, and new beginnings. Bringing your pain honestly before Him—without hiding—creates space for healing to begin. Instead of carrying the weight alone, you are invited to release it and receive peace.

Moving Forward with Hope and Healing

Mental wellness and a relationship with Jesus work together to create a path toward wholeness. Healing is always not instant, and it’s not always easy—but it is possible. Each day is an opportunity to take a step forward, to think a little differently, and to experience a little more peace.

If you are on this journey, know that you don’t have to navigate it alone. Jesus meets you where you are—in the middle of the struggle—and walks with you toward healing. With time, intentional care, and faith, your mind can find rest, your heart can find peace, and your life can move forward with renewed hope.

Being in a space where others understand—where you don’t have to explain or hide—can make a meaningful difference. Post-abortion and abuse recovery support groups, like those at My Ashes to Beauty, are created to offer that kind of safe, compassionate environment. We invite you to join us on a conference call, a safe place where you can speak honestly about your abortion or abuse, in an understanding and loving environment.

Please reach out if you would like to talk this week: toni@myashestobeauty.com.

Here for you,

Toni

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Stinking Thinking: Justification—Justifying My Sin

Stinking Thinking: Justifying My Sin

by Toni Weisz/Stinking Thinking

Scriptures: Genesis 3:8-13 and Proverbs 11:14b

“And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3:8-13

I define justification, more specifically, justifying my sin, as the distorted belief that I am making a right or reasonable decision when, in fact, the opposite is true. I have heard almost every excuse to justify a woman’s choice for an abortion; I had several myself. I allowed the enemy to isolate me and lie to me, just like he did to Adam and Eve when they ate the forbidden fruit and sinned against God.

As a result of my sin, I rushed to make my decision and did not ask for help or discuss it with anyone. It’s the one thing we as woman don’t ask for help with, why is that? We talk to our friends or family about other decisions we make, but why not this one?

I believe the enemy immediately swoops in and starts flooding our minds with all kinds of chaos, coupled with lies, fear, and anxiety. This combination is overwhelming to our minds, and we scramble to stop the noise in our heads so we can return to normal.

I did not have my abortion until my second trimester, but I had my mind made up immediately that I was going to have an abortion. I had to wait months to have my procedure because I didn’t follow protocol and ate before my first scheduled abortion and had to reschedule. I had to make two abortion appointments! Perhaps God was giving me a way to escape, but I wasn’t seeking His counsel. Instead, I felt justified in my decision to move forward with the abortion.

The reasons I used to justify my sin of abortion were the following: I believed the lie that my baby would be severely deformed because I was doing heavy drugs, drinking excessively, and smoking 2-3 packs of cigarettes per day. I was still in college in Ohio with no job and I thought, “I can’t have a child now!” I believed the father of the child would leave me to raise the child on my own.

But the biggest reason was that I was afraid to tell my parents. I regret that I did not have the courage to admit to my parents that I made a mistake and I needed help. I never gave them an opportunity to have a say in my decision because I took matters into my own hands. My fear and pride prevented me from telling the truth. I wish I had told them because I could have my 45-year-old son with me today. But I cannot go back and change my past. All I can do is learn from it and understand why this broken frightened woman could not tell her parents the truth.

I remember after watching the movie, “Unplanned”, I was at my laundry room sink and the Holy Spirit whispered to my heart, “Every child in the womb is mine.” Tears filled my eyes and I replied, “I know, Lord, and I robbed you of the baby in my womb and I am so sorry.”

Sin is never justified. Looking back at our first parents, Adam and Eve, we see they pointed their finger at someone else to justify their sin before God. The exchange is quite interesting, and we use the same tactics today. In Genesis Chapter 3, after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, God called to them, “Where are you?” God called Adam by his name wanting him to confess his sin, but instead he justified his sin and accused the woman who God gave him. And Eve likewise accused the serpent. Instead of taking responsibility for their sins, they blamed someone else. Their pride prevented them from humbling themselves before God and repenting of their sin. My pride prevented me from asking my parents and God for help in my abortion decision. Instead, I listened to the devil, and I suffered for years as a result of my decision.

For you dear ones who have been abused, rejected, and abandoned by those who were supposed to love and nurture you, the pain of what you endured just breaks my heart. It broke God’s too. God wants you healed. He is a good Father. He is kind, compassionate, loving, faithful, and full of grace. He is not like your earthly family who are flawed and a product of their own destructive home environments. Your Father in heaven is perfect. He is love; it is His character.

We are here to help you make life-affirming, God-glorifying decisions in your lives. Proverbs 11:14b, “In the multitude of counselors, there is safety.” Please reach out if you are struggling with making good decisions that honor God. You can break the unhealthy destructive cycle and replace it with one that is pleasing to God and gives you peace in your soul.

Questions to take to heart:

1. What were your reasons for your abortion(s) that at the time you felt were justified? What were the lies you believed?

2. For those who have been abused, how did you justify this sin against you? What were the lies you believed?

3. What is the truth that God has shown you?

4. How can we pray for you?

Please reach out if you need to talk. You can email me at: toni@myashestobeauty.com. Please don’t suffer alone anymore. You have a community of women who are available to walk alongside you to help you.

You are loved,