God Saved Former Nickelodeon Star From Suicide
By Movieguide® Contributor
Actor and pastor Kel Mitchell is sharing how an encounter with God saved him from suicide.
The actor revealed that he was in a dark place during his divorce and struggled with the fact that he couldn’t see his kids during the process.
“[I thought] ‘I [have to] be perfect, my relationship needs to be like my parents’ relationship’…but then I go through this horrible divorce, and then it’s this embarrasment,” he told Big Think. “I heard a voice that said, ‘Lock yourself in the bathroom. Get off this balcony and lock yourself in the bathroom.’ I know it was the voice of God.”
Mitchell continued, “I went through my journey after that, getting back to a relationship with Him, and that took time and then finding myself and saying, ‘Kel, you just need to find your love within you.’”
Now, he views those dark moments as a time when he learned lessons about himself and his faith.
“I think that’s beautiful, when you go, ‘There’s no mistakes, there’s just lessons.’ You are who you are, so just learn from it and keep it pushing,” he concluded.
While most know him from his work on kids’ shows like ALL THAT and KENAN & KEL, today, Mitchell is a youth pastor.
“I’ve always known God,” Mitchell told Fox News. “Grew up in a church, but there’s a difference between knowing God and having a relationship with God. And I just got to a point in my life where I wanted to make sure that He was in everything that I do. Because when I was trying to figure out everything on my own, I got into a lot of frustration and situations. And the thing about it is that a lot of depression comes from internalizing frustration, and you need to get it out.”
He continued, “You need to know that you’re loved by God and you were born for a purpose. When I figured that out, I wanted others to know that as well because He was always there for me in the ups and downs of my life.”
Mitchell told CBN that he initially struggled with the idea, asking God, “Lord, how am I going to do this while I’m also still a celebrity?”
“My wife said, ‘Hey, you be the first, and you do it,’ and that’s what I did,” he shared. “It’s not an easy task; I’ve been doing it for years.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Mitchell’s work as a pastor:
Actor and pastor Kel Mitchell is encouraging us to “switch on the power of God.”
In a recent sermon video, Mitchell began by reciting John 8:12: “Once more, Jesus addressed the crowd. He said, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”
“Don’t you want light in your life?” he asked. “Switch on the power of God. Say, ‘God, switch on the power in me.’”
Mitchell shared that he was “seeking God spiritually because my understanding wasn’t getting what I was getting. I needed His understanding.”
“I don’t want to walk around, running into things that I don’t have to run into. I want my path lit up,” he continued. “Because eagles [aren’t] worried about what’s going on with crows. Sometimes, an eagle [has to] fly low on the ground. You know what they see? They find crows. Crows can do a lot of stuff with their flying—they can go side-to-side, they can move up and down, they can go back. But what does the eagle do to get away from a crow? It flies higher.”
Mitchell stressed, “Your power is from the Lord. You can stand in times of adversity because of what we are: light on the hill, and we shine bright.”
