Wesley Ross Harris and Growing Faith and Mental Illness
Jan 31, 2024
Wesley Ross Harris is an author and personal trainer. Today, he shares his story struggling with mental illness. Wes began to give up his identity as he joined the football team in high school. In time, the Lord began to reorient him toward others which slowly changed his perspective. Things really began to change when he decided to write his story and share it to help others. Now, he writes to destigmatize mental illness and assist others who suffer with it.
Listen to Wesley’s story today!
Stories Wesley shared:
- Growing up as a military kid moving all over
- Moving to Austin, TX and experiencing culture shock
- Struggling with depression for the first time
- Beginning to reach out to God for help
- How helping others helped Wes to grow
- How reading the Bible resurfaced his interest in writing
- The discipleship relationship that helped him grow
- Deciding to write his story
- Why he wrote about OCD and depression
- Practices that have helped him deal with OCD
- Breaking the stigma of mental health in the church
Great quotes from Wesley:
If I hadn’t been knocked around a bit, I don’t know if I ever would have turned to the Lord.
I started reading the Bible and that opened my intellectual life again.
You can follow God through it.
Resources we mentioned:
- Anxiety and Depression Are (Not) Always Sins
by W.R. Harris
- Obsessions: Hell and Back Again: The True Story of My Battle to Find Hope in the Midst of OCD and Depression
by W.R. Harris
- Wesley’s website Persevering Hope
- Wesley’s personal website WRHWriting.com
