Smiling on Sunday, struggling on Monday? Here are 3 biblical principles for your quiet battles

World Mental Health Day (10 October) reminds us just how many are carrying hidden struggles. The latest NHS survey shows that more than one in five adults in the UK are living with depression or anxiety, and among young people the figure is closer to one in four. Behind each number is a name, a family, a church community touched by pain.

Christians are not exempt. Research from Kintsugi Hope found that 43 per cent of UK believers have experienced a mental health issue, yet only 35 per cent felt especially supported by their church. Almost half of us in the pews are wrestling with anxiety and/or depression: how many more discouragement?

I know myself that wrestle is often done quietly, unsure if it can be shared.

After many years in Christian ministry, and nearly seven as a main leader, I crashed and burned out. Zeal? I felt drained of even basic motivation. So Paul’s exhortation in Romans 12:11 — “Never be lacking in zeal” — can feel impossible.

Thankfully his words are set within the context of God’s mercy (Romans 12:1). It’s not about trying harder or putting on a mask. It’s an invitation to respond to God’s grace and discover how he sustains passion when ours falters.

It’s in the Bible, I believe, because God knows there’ll be seasons when our zeal tanks will run low and need refreshing. So, Paul shares three encouragements to re-fuel our spiritual fervour.

1. Be Joyful in Hope 

To be “joyful in hope” is not about forcing ourselves to smile. It’s letting the unshakable reality of eternity lift our gaze: one day we will see Jesus face to face, and every wrong will be righted and every tear wiped away. It’s what Christ clung to on the cross — “for the joy set before him [the redemption of all things] he endured…” (Hebrews 12:2).

Does this mean we must always feel hallmark card happy? While working on my latest book, writer and mental health advocate, Rachael Newham, reminded me that Jesus himself was not always happy. Biblical joy runs deeper than fleeting emotions. It’s the ember of hope that can keep glowing, even in dark times, when we feed it with the oxygen of eternity.

In Psalm 42 the writer asks, “Why, my soul, are you downcast?” before urging himself to “put your hope in God.” I’ve had to speak that to my own heart, too. For a time, I misplaced hope in worldly successes and people-pleasing, which only deepened my discouragement. Joy by contrast is found in capital-H solid biblical Hope. Hebrews 6:19 calls it “an anchor for the soul.”

A day is coming when sin, sickness, suffering, and death will be banished. We will enjoy what we love here on earth, but in an infinitely better way – no crime, no pollution, no sirens. This isn’t escapism; it’s the promise of a trustworthy God whose plans cannot be thwarted.

2. Be Patient in Affliction 

Paul’s next encouragement – to be “patient in affliction” – cuts against the lie that life should always be easy. Jesus said plainly, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). Suffering is not abnormal; the 380 million persecuted believers around the world remind us of that.

In the UK, affliction can look like health struggles, relationship breakdowns, and financial pressures. Increasingly, it includes mental health challenges. The Church cannot ignore this. Patience in affliction means acknowledging bitter realities whilst trusting that God is at work, even when relief seems delayed.

Esha’s story illustrates this. Living in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, her husband faced severe persecution. Born into a Christian family herself, she witnessed the cost of following Jesus first-hand.

Her husband’s conversion brought family rejection, community hostility, and even violent threats on his life. On one occasion, a mob tried to kill him, but after hours of anguish and uncertainty, God intervened, even turning some involved to help him escape.

To be “never lacking in zeal” is not about pretending we are always strong. It’s about prayerfully holding on to hope in Christ

Through it all, Esha discovered that her identity is not in circumstances, family approval, or community acceptance. It is in Christ alone. Romans 14:8 became their guiding verse: “If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” Their story teaches us that goodness can grow even amid extreme affliction.

So often, new life starts in the dark. As Barbara Brown Taylor puts it, “Whether it is a seed in the ground, a baby in the womb, or Jesus in the tomb, it starts in the dark.”

Patience here is not passive resignation. It is active waiting, rooted in trust that God is working even when unseen.

Esha and her husband serve the persecuted church in south-east Asia, walking alongside hundreds of believers who’ve suffered for their faith. They comfort others with the comfort they’ve received from God (2 Corinthians 1:4) – reminding us that the hardest seasons of our lives can produce the most precious fruit.

3. Be Faithful in Prayer 

Finally, Paul calls us to be “faithful in prayer.” At first, I assumed this meant keeping a routine. But it is more than that. It’s about learning from the persistent widow in Jesus’ parable not to lose heart (Luke 18:1-8).

It’s about continuing in any way we can, which could be, maybe even should be, crying out with raw honesty – like Jesus, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) – rather than retreating to polite religiosity.

Prayer also calls for community, as the “Our”s and  “us”s of the Lord’s Prayer teaches (Matthew 6:9-13). Christians struggling with mental health can feel unsupported in their churches. That’s why Kintsugi Hope runs wellbeing groups: they provide safe, authentic spaces to share struggles, process discouragement, and pray with others.

This World Mental Health Day, may we remember that to be “never lacking in zeal” is not about pretending we are always strong. It’s about prayerfully holding on to hope in Christ, the anchor for our souls – together.