Ministry isn’t a platform reserved for the perfect. It’s a calling walked out by the willing.
And I’m one of them—willing, messy, healing, and still rising.
I live with several mental health diagnoses, including depression, anxiety, PTSD/trauma, psychosis, and borderline personality disorder. That’s a heavy sentence, I know. For a long time, I thought it disqualified me. I thought I had to look, speak, or operate like someone else—some polished, picture-perfect leader—in order to be “right” for ministry. I felt like a carbon copy, afraid of doing it wrong. But God wasn’t asking for a copy. He was calling for me.
🌻 Finding My Own Voice and Lane in Ministry
Through deep prayer, therapy, Scripture, and many moments of wrestling, I began to realize something powerful: my struggles didn’t cancel my calling—they shaped it.
Because of my diagnoses, I’ve had to get creative in how I minister. I’ve had to prioritize sustainability, rest, and flexibility—not only for myself but also for others walking their own roads of recovery.
That’s why R.I.S.E. with Yahweh Ministries is self-paced, peer-led, and rooted in grace. It’s designed for people like me: people who sometimes need a sabbatical, who hear God best in stillness, who sometimes need to text instead of talk. It’s not a weakness. It’s a wise design.
💬 Serving with Anxiety: Quiet Courage in Text-Based Ministry
My anxiety makes phone calls overwhelming and traditional “churchy” environments overstimulating. So, I serve through text-based peer support, writing devotionals, and offering tools people can access on their own schedule.
I’ve discovered that quiet ministry is still powerful. Encouragement sent by email or a written check-in can reach someone at just the right time. We don’t have to be loud to be effective.
🧠 Navigating Trauma and PTSD: Check-Ins and Gentle Boundaries
My trauma has taught me the value of emotional check-ins—not just for others, but for myself. I use the same tools I provide to my community to regularly evaluate where I’m at. If I’m burned out, triggered, or worn down, I give myself permission to rest. That’s not quitting. That’s honoring my humanity.
I’ve also learned that trauma survivors thrive with gentle structures, not rigid demands. That’s why my ministry isn’t built around strict timeframes or pressure—it’s built on growth, healing, and mutual support.
✨ Living with Psychosis: Discernment, Not Disqualification
My psychosis is often spiritual in nature, involving intrusive or confusing religious thoughts or voices. That’s a vulnerable thing to admit—but it’s real. And here’s what I do:
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I compare every voice or message I hear to the Word of God. If it doesn’t line up with Scripture, I reject it.
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I stay honest with my care team—mental health providers and trusted spiritual mentors alike.
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I journal and test the spirit (1 John 4:1), because not every supernatural experience is holy.
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Most of all, I remind myself: having spiritual confusion doesn’t mean I’m spiritually lost. I am seen, loved, and upheld by the Spirit of truth.
🌱 Creating Ministry That Reflects Real Life
R.I.S.E. with Yahweh isn’t a place where we pretend we’re fine. It’s a space where we’re free to say, “I’m healing. I’m tired. I’m trying.”
That’s why my ministry structure includes:
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🧩 Self-learning options, so people can move at their own pace
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💬 Text-only support, for those with anxiety or speech struggles
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🌿 Peer-led groups, because healing happens in community
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📊 Check-in tools, to help us know when to rest, refocus, or reengage
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🙏🏾 Non-clinical spiritual care, rooted in grace and grounded in truth
🔥 My Illnesses Don't Disqualify Me—They Deepen My Dependence
God never asked me to lead in spite of my struggles. He called me to lead through them.
I’m not superwoman. I’m not always strong. But I’m faithful to show up in the way God uniquely designed me to—and that’s enough.
So to the one reading this who’s battling depression, anxiety, trauma, psychosis, or any diagnosis that feels like too much:
💛 You’re not too much. You’re anointed.
💛 You don’t have to do ministry like anyone else. Do it like you.
💛 You can take breaks. You can ask for help. You can rest without guilt.
You are still called.
You are still rising.
And you are never alone.
With grace and grit,
Telle Wild Rose
Founder, R.I.S.E. with Yahweh Ministries
🌾 Restoration. Identity. Support. Encouragement.
