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The other day, I was minding my own business — okay, not really, I was in traffic — and I saw a billboard at the entrance to Nairobi’s Central Business District that nearly made me drop my mandazi (because I eat anywhere). In bold righteous letters, it warned Kenyans that paying for therapy, among other things like wearing wigs and taking Holy Communion, was a sin.
Therapy. A sin.
I chuckled. Then I sighed. Then I wondered if the person behind that billboard had ever had to sit with someone sobbing over childhood trauma at 1 am, or walked a friend through postpartum depression while juggling your own chaos. Because if they had, they’d know paying for therapy isn’t sin. It’s sanity. Now I got really mad.
For years, I’ve played what I now lovingly call the role of a “quack psychologist.” I’ve been the go-to listener, the make-shift counselor, the emergency emotional plumber. And I did it with heart, not credentials. But now, I’m doing it with both — I’ve finally joined a psychological counseling class.
I’m no longer running from the call. I’m headed straight to Nineveh — with a notebook, Bible, DSM-5 in hand, and Tim Keller’s Rediscovering Jonah still echoing in my brain from my very public WhatsApp-status bookworming.
When Christians dodge emotional healing
Let’s talk about Jonah. You know the guy, called by God, ran the opposite direction, ended up in the belly of a fish with regrets and seaweed in his beard. Classic.
Jonah’s story is often reduced to a rebellious prophet on the run. But Tim Keller unpacks it deeper: This was a man burning with anger, who said multiple times that he was “angry enough to die.” And why? Because God was kind to people Jonah couldn’t stand. People he’d written off. People who didn’t fit into his definition of who deserved grace.
And maybe, just maybe, that’s the same root behind how some of us avoid seeking therapy — or mock those who seek it.
We’re not just dodging discomfort. We’re dodging compassion. Toward others. And sometimes, toward ourselves.
So many believers — good, God-loving, church-going folk — are doing their own Jonah marathon. But they are not dodging the Ninevites. They are dodging their own wounds, their own need for healing. They hear the nudge: Go deal with that wound. Talk to someone about it. Sit with the hard stuff. And instead, they repost another verse, or slap a “Jesus is my therapist” sticker on their bumper and call it a day.
But healing isn’t just about running from things. It’s about sitting still long enough to face them.
When spiritual language becomes emotional avoidance
The church has done a lot of good in this world — but we’ve also (sometimes unintentionally) taught people to spiritualize their suffering instead of working through it.
Got anxiety? Just pray harder.
Feeling depressed? Praise your way out.
Been through trauma? Fast and forget.
Jonah didn’t fast and forget. He sulked. He exploded. He argued with God — emotionally and honestly. And God didn’t shut him down. He asked him questions.
Even Jesus — the Son of God — didn’t bypass feelings. John 11:35 says, “Jesus wept.” He didn’t suppress, deny, or sanitize his grief. He felt it. Expressed it. Shared it.
That’s not weakness. That’s emotional health.
God Works Through Professionals Too
Here’s the thing: God is not allergic to science. He doesn’t need you to choose between Scripture and psychology. He can work through a pastor and a psychotherapist. He can heal through prayer and process.
Proverbs 11:14 puts it clearly: “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.”
Nowhere does it say, “Only free, unlicensed counselors who quote Jeremiah 29:11.”
Jonah was furious when God showed mercy to Nineveh — because he didn’t think they deserved it. But the irony? He needed mercy just as much. It’s the same with healing. We may resist it because we don’t think others deserve it — or we quietly believe we don’t. Therapy pokes at those beliefs. It unearths our internal Ninevehs. And that, gentle reader, is sacred work.
A Calling Hidden in Conversations
I didn’t plan to become a counselor. I just wanted to be a writer. But somewhere between writing articles and listening to readers pour out their souls in my inbox, I realized — I’ve been doing soul care for years. Not the kind that comes with degrees or fees. Just the kind that comes with compassion and a listening ear.
But compassion alone isn’t enough when people’s hearts are in your hands.
So here I am, taking the long road to professional counseling. Learning to hold space better. To spot trauma patterns. To listen well without over-identifying. And to protect my own emotional health too.
Jonah could quote Scripture backward. But Keller’s book reminded me that quoting truth and embodying it are two different things. I don’t want to be the kind of person who knows the right verses but hasn’t wrestled my own biases. I want to sit with people like God sat with Jonah—tough questions, warm grace, and all.
Faith and Feelings Aren’t Enemies
One of the most damaging ideas Christians grow up with is that emotions are somehow sinful or unreliable. That anger is bad, sadness is weak, and fear is faithless.
But God gave us emotions. And like any tool, they need guidance, not guilt.
David, the man after God’s heart, wrote entire psalms of emotional rollercoasters. Paul wrote letters while battling afflictions of mind and body. Elijah was so exhausted and discouraged that he asked God to end his life — only for God to give him food and rest instead (1 Kings 19).
That’s divine self-care. That’s emotional honesty.
And Jonah? He teaches us that it’s possible to follow God and still struggle with anger, resentment, and healing. The work is in not staying there.
The Church Can Be a Hospital—But Also a Referral Clinic
I believe in healing at the altar. I’ve seen it, lived it. But I also believe in healing in the counselor’s office. One doesn’t cancel the other. Sometimes you need intercession. Sometimes you need intervention. Sometimes you need both.
If your church tells you to tithe but not to invest in your healing, ask questions.
If it tells you to give your time but not your tears, be careful.
And if it tells you therapy is a sin but can’t explain why, smile kindly—and call your therapist.
A Final Word from a Reformed Jonah
To the fellow “quack counselors” out there—the writers, the listening friends, the ones who carry burdens they never asked for — maybe your unpaid emotional labor wasn’t random. Maybe it was preparation. Maybe it’s time to get equipped and go legit.
And to those who still think therapy is sin: Jesus walked with a tax collector, fishermen, and a doubting Thomas. I’m pretty sure He can walk with a therapist, too.
As for me, I’m done running. I’ve swallowed my fear (thankfully not via fish), embraced the call, and enrolled in the classroom. Because Nineveh still needs healing, and so do many of us on the road there.
One of these good days, I’m going to have a little psychotherapy office with a yellow couch and a peace lily in the corner.
This post first appeared at https://himizaafrika.wordpress.com/2025/05/15/you-can-have-jesus-and-a-therapist-too/.
