A Defense of Your Right to Stay Not OK

Dear Struggling Saint,

So someone had the audacity to suggest you shouldn’t stay in your “not OK” state? How dare they! Let’s defend your right to remain comfortably uncomfortable.

After all, “it’s OK to not be OK” is the anthem of modern Christianity. It’s practically our new gospel! We’ve even got Instagram posts and coffee mugs to prove it. Who needs victory when you can have validation?

Let’s celebrate the art of perpetual brokenness:

• Start support groups for staying stuck
• Share prayer requests that never expect answers
• Make “authenticity” a cover for avoiding growth
• Turn therapy into a lifestyle rather than a stepping stone

Because isn’t vulnerability beautiful? So beautiful that we should just… stay there. Forever.

Sure, Jesus said He came to defeat the works of the devil. But depression, anxiety, and defeat are just part of life, right? I mean, yes, technically those are works of the devil He specifically came to destroy, but let’s not get carried away with actually believing that.

And yes, He promised abundant life, but surely He meant abundantly OK with not being OK.

What’s that? The Bible says we’re more than conquerors? Well, that’s clearly just motivational speaking. We prefer to be less than OK.

OR…

[Sharp turn]

Or maybe – just maybe – we’ve twisted a compassionate acknowledgment of struggle into permission to stay there.

Truth bomb: It IS OK to not be OK… for a season. It’s NOT OK to:

• Make “not OK” your identity
• Use “not OK” as an excuse to avoid growth
• Turn “not OK” into a lifestyle
• Build a theology around staying “not OK”

Because here’s what we often forget: The same Christ who understands your struggles also empowers you to overcome them. The same God who meets you in your brokenness isn’t content to leave you there. The same Spirit who comforts you in weakness also strengthens you for victory.

Yes, it’s OK to acknowledge when you’re not OK. No, it’s not OK to build a permanent residence there.

You’re not called to be:

• Permanently broken
• Professionally wounded
• Perpetually defeated
• Comfortably uncomfortable

You’re called to be:

• More than a conqueror
• Complete in Christ
• Transformed by renewal
• Living abundantly

So the real question isn’t “Is it OK to not be OK?” The real question is: “How long will you choose to stay there when Christ has provided everything you need for victory?”

Your move, warrior.

Previous: “A Guide to Comfortable Christianity” | NEXT: “The Professional Christian’s Guide to Justifying Defeat”