Cross Rhythms website editor Heather Bellamy is a regular contributor for the local Sentinel newspaper's weekly faith column, Yours Faithfully. Each week a different leader from the local faith communities write the column. Check out what Heather has been saying to the fine people of North Staffordshire.

Most of us at one time or another will have known hurt and pain, either emotionally or mentally. This pain comes through many avenues: rejection from a partner, parents divorcing, abuse, losing a job, someone close to us dieing, illness...the list is endless. The nature of this life means that no-one goes through it totally unscathed and the reality is that we all do get affected by these circumstances in our lives.

As people, we're not just a physical body, we also have minds and emotions! Just as our body gets knocked in life and needs to heal, so our minds and emotions get knocked and need healing. It's not weakness to admit this, anymore than it's weakness to go to the doctors when our body is unwell.

Where do we find the answer to these wounds though? It's obvious to go to the doctors when we're unwell, but where do we go for emotional or mental brokenness? Sure we can go for counseling or take medication like anti depressants and that may be a part of our road to recovery, but do any of these treatments ever bring true and lasting freedom?

Whether we're Christians or not, do many of us ever consider that Jesus Himself might actually care, be interested in, in fact might even have come (in part) that we might be set free emotionally and mentally? Is He someone we can go to, to find healing? Does He have the power?

Jesus made some pretty radical statements while He was here on earth. These are recorded in the Bible and are worth consideration as if true, they have major, positive implications for our lives. If not true, well, we can just ignore them.

One of the things He said of Himself was that He had come 'to release the oppressed,' another was that 'if the Son (Jesus) sets you free, you are free through and through.' King David said of Him 'In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and He answered by setting me free.' Another thing Jesus said was 'I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.'

When I personally came to God, I came crippled emotionally and mentally. I didn't need physical healing I needed my emotions and mind set free! I have known a Jesus who is humble and gentle by nature, a master physician who has known how to come into my most painful places emotionally and mentally and bring total freedom and healing.

He came to give us life; He said to 'come to Him'. Consider those places inside that you know you feel pain in; then perhaps, as King David did, you could begin to bring them to Jesus today in prayer.