Sheila Walsh Shares Why ‘It’s Okay Not to be Okay’
By Movieguide® Contributor
THE 700 CLUB’s Sheila Walsh sat down on TBN to share why she wrote her faith-based book, “It’s Okay Not to be Okay: Moving Forward One Day at a Time.”
“This phrase in this title of your book, ‘It’s Okay Not to be Okay’ what do people say when they see that?” a TBN host asked Walsh.
“Well, initially some people questioned me because it’s like well, I thought the whole point was we’re supposed to be okay once we come to Christ. And…you know what, I tried that for years,” the LIFE TODAY co-host said.
At the age of 11, Walsh gave her life to Christ after her mother shared the Gospel with her.
Her mother said, “’Sheila, not only is Jesus Christ your Savior and you get to make him Lord of your life, but you have a Heavenly Father watching over you,’ but what I heard was I’ve got one more chance to get it right, whatever my earthly dad saw in me that made him seem to hate me. I don’t want my Heavenly Father ever to see that I’m going to be the perfect Christian if it kills me, and it almost did. I really based my relationship with God on me getting everything right and me being the perfect Christian, on never messing up.”
But this long-held belief made her life “very lonely.”
“You know, you can hide in ministry. Some people think you know they use drugs or alcohol or relationships as a kind of mask. You can use Christian ministry as a place to hide,” she explained.
“You know, because you just think I don’t know what else to do. And it was only when my life crashed, and that was God’s mercy, that I discovered it’s okay not to be okay,” she said.
Her life “crashed” when she was admitted to a hospital for her mental health.
“I mean when you’re in a psych hospital and they’ve taken all your stuff away and they place you on suicide watch. And that morning you’ve been the co-host of THE 700 CLUB, there’s not much left to say about yourself. But I wrote in my journal that first night, ‘I never knew you lived so close to the floor.’”
“I’m so used to worshiping God in his majesty as we should,” she said. “But this is the truth of Psalm 34, you know, the Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. And I discovered that night, for all my prayers that I prayed through the years and…sometimes the most powerful prayer is simply help. Help me, Lord. I’m drowning. Help me.”
After she prayed to God to help her, she realized that God would bring “beauty” out of her brokenness.
“God and his mercy…Some days God will take you to prison to set you free,” she said.
Walsh recently joined Candace Cameron Bure and Kirk Cameron on TAKEAWAYS, where the three discussed the importance of prayer.
“I think God listens to our hearts, and that’s what I’ve discovered; prayer is this ongoing conversation with the One who knows us best and loves us most,” Walsh said.
Walsh has written several other books about faith besides “It’s Okay to Not be Okay,” including, “Praying Women,” “Holding on When You Want to Let Go” and “The Gifts of Christmas.”
Movieguide® previously reported that Walsh and her husband joined TBN:
“As many of you know, every year, Barry and I ask God for clear guidance for the year ahead,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “This past year, we both felt led to specifically dedicate the next 10 years afresh to God for whatever He would have in our future. We felt a change was coming, but we weren’t certain what that change would be. As the months passed, we kept praying.”
“One day, Matt and Laurie Crouch, who have been great friends of ours for years, talked to me about joining their television ministry team and the TBN Network,” she added. “Matt and Laurie head up this amazing international ministry. I have known Matt for over 30 years as he produced my very first US music video, and his wife Laurie is one of the sweetest, Jesus-loving people I’ve ever known. It seemed like we came full circle.”
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