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I have never been afraid of heights until I was in my mid twenties. Back then I never met a roller coaster that I didnt like. Now, not so much. What changed? The only thing that I can think of is what happened on September 11, 2001. I remember watching the images of the twin towers plummet to the ground. Like millions of people around the world, I watched as the planes hit the twin towers. I think those images are ingrained in my mind and has messed with my psyche some how. I used to love cliff diving and bungee jumping but now I stay close to the walls when I am in a high rise building with large windows to the outside world. At times, I even get a little apprehensive as I go over a bridge or through a tunnel.

Although I am not scared of my shadow, I do have those weird little tendencies that I cant make sense of and that I just want to go away. As a Chrisitian, I am encouraged to not be fearful of things, knowing that God is there beside me helping me through every situaton that I face. However, I can’t help myself sometimes. Often, it is out of nowhere. A lot of times it comes at night when I am laying in bed thinking about stuff.

I have counseled people in the past who have dealt with anxiety. I try to give them good practical counsel. However, I have to admit that when I am going through it myself, I find it hard at times to practice what I preach. I think a lot of believers struggle with this issue. How do we tell others that we are stuggling with anxiety when Jesus told us not to worry about the future? Furthermore, some in the church tend to get uncomfortable when we talk about anxiety, or any mental health issues for that matter, because we don’t really know how to help the person struggling with the issue. However, it is so common to us human beings that the Bible addresses this issue more than once.

Paradise Lost– Genesis 3:7-10

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In Genesis, both Adam and Eve became “conscious” after they chose to disobey their Creator. It’s as if they became aware of all their humanity and suddenly a flood of emotions came storming into their hearts and mind. Imagine what it must have felt like to experience guilt, shame, sadness, and anxiety for the very first time. Not long before, they enjoyed walking with God and spending time with the Creator of the universe. Now they find themselves in their nakedness, exposed to their sins, and hiding from God. A once pleasant thing has now became something that they are fearful of.

“Where are you?” was not some game of Hide and Go Seek that God was playing with Adam and Eve. God knew exactly where they were. ‘Look where your choices and decisons have gotten you’. ‘Look where you are now’. It is intersting that the first emotion that the Genesis account desribes is fear. Fear is anxiety. This is where we get the word “phobia” -which is the Greek word meaning fear. It is a inner feeling of apprehension, uneasiness, worry or dread. The body seems to be alert, ready to fight or flight. The heart beats faster, blood pressure and muscle tension increase, neurological and chemical changes occur.You begin to sweat, begin to feel jumpy, faint and unable to relax. All this can be over a real situation or an unknown or imaginary event.

Expert Opinion

Freud believed that anxiety occurs when our defense mechanisms break down.Existential Philosopher Soren Keirkegaard said that anxiety is the dizziness produced in any reasonable being who stands at the brink of genuine freedom. Knowing that we can think and do as we will naturally inspires deep fear about what we shall think and do.

What if I make the worng decision or choice? What if I am supposed to go this way and I go that way instead? Should I marry this person or take this job? We have freedom to make choices ( which is a gift from God) but sometimes our choices don’t turn out the way that we thought. This naturally produces anxiety. No one wants to make the wrong decision. However, since we are are humans, sometimes we do make those choices anyways.

Seek His Kingdom

Our worldview and personal lifestyle can be a predictor on how we will handle stress and our resiliency in difficult times. Studies have shown that attending church is associated with lower blood pressure, lower risk of cardiovascular disease, lower risk of cancer, and possibly longer life. Most believers will abstain from those activities that will cause some of those physical health issues.

Although the churched may be physically healthier than others, studies have shown that there is little difference between the religious and non-religious when it comes to mental illness. Jesus did not say that we would be free from trouble or suffering but that he would be with us during those times. In Mathwew 6:34, Jesus tells us to “don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s troubles will be enough for today.”

I always found this verse difficult. It doesn’t seem to be comforting knowing that we will have troubles and worries in life. However, that’s the fallen world that we live in. Just prior to this statement, Jesus tells us that worry dominats are thoughts but God already knows our needs. He compels us to seek His kingdom first and to live righteously and that He will give you everything that you need. Notice it says everything that you need and not everything that you want?

Rejoice, Be Gentle, Be Thankful, and Think

Furthermore, Paul addresses anxiety in Philipians 4:4-8. In these verses, he tells us to:

Rejoice
Be Gentle
Be Thankful
Think

Rejoice

Philippians 4:4- Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice.

– Christians can rejoice during troubled times knowing that Jesus has sent us the Counselor (Holy Spirit) to give us peace and to ease our minds

Be Gentle:

Philippians 4:5- Let your gentle behavior be clear to all men. The Lord is near.

– the Greek word means kind, sweet, considerate, gracious attitude. A negative condemning outlook on life builds anxiety; a gracious, considerate and gentle attitude reduces it.

Be Thankful:

Philippians 4:6 – In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

– We shoud be praying about the smallest details in our life. However, Paul states that it should be in thanksgiving to God. Being thankful for what we do have in our life can change our perspective and help us recognize the blessings that we already have.

Think:

Philippians 4:8- For the rest, my brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things have honor, whatever things are upright, whatever things are holy, whatever things are beautiful, whatever things are of value, if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, give thought to these things.

– anxiety comes when we dwell on human weaknesses and how things might go wrong. We need to remember that our thinking, effects our feeling, which ultimately effects our behaviors.

In Conclusion

In the end, anxiety, fear, worry, and dread will visit us from time to time. It is all about being human and coming face to face with things we can not control. This is where we (I) need to trust in Him even more. Following Jesus’s words in Matthew 6 and Paul’s in Philipians 4 can help refocus our thoughts away from worry and fear unto thankfulness and trust in our God. So remember, when we are preoccupied with anxiety, just remember to Rejoice, Be gentle, Be Thankful, and Think. Ill try to remember it too.

“After darkness, light” -Martin Luther

So here it goes. My very first blog post. Just to be clear, I am not writing this in my mom’s basement nor am I writing in the proverbial coffee shop. I am writing, however, in a dark place. I mean this both literally and figuratively. Life is funny how it gives you so many twists and turns. At this point I am considering cancelling my season passes to Six Flags. Life is one big crazy ride that you wish would just stop at times just so you can take a breather.

That dark place that I referred to is called depression. Some say it is the common-cold of mental disorders and I have had this “cold” my entire life. In fact, pretty much everyone who has ever lived on this planet has experienced some form of depression whether it is the mild “blues” to Major Depressive Disorder.

Signs include:

sadness, anger, pessimism, hopelessness, apathy, inertia, fatigue, loss of interest and energy, low self-esteem, self criticsm, feelings of guilt, shame, helplessness, insomnia or sleeping to much, loss of concentration, loss of appetite or eating too much, thoughts of self-harm or even suicide.

Other common signs may include aggressive outbursts, impulsive behavior, being accident prone, and overworking to avoid facing your feelings.

I high-lighted the ones I usually deal with. Sometimes, I may have several of these symptoms but I tell people I’m alright. This is what us mental helath professionals call masked-depression. It’s a form of depression that is often directed inwards. I have become a master of hiding how I feel. At least I think that I have. It also runs in my family which is common with those who deal with this. Sometimes it just comes out of nowhere. I will be fine one minute then the next I will just feel “blah”.

The psychiatrist Aaron Beck states that depressed people show negative thinking in three areas:

They view the world and life experiences negatively,
Many may have negative views of themselves,
They view the future as negative as well.

Check. Check. Check. That’s me in a nutshell when I am going through those dark periods. For many people dealing with depression, they often deal with guilt fealings as well. They feel guilty for not being able to snap out of it. Or they may isolate themselves so that they dont have to deal with people asking them what is wrong or why cant you “just get over it”?

That is the one question that I believe most people disdain the most. If I can just get over it, don’t you think that I would? So therefore, we tend to isolate ourselves from the rest of the world out of self-pity or lack of self-confidence. Those of us who are Christians have to be careful of this. Man was not left to be alone. Isolation for a Christian often means staying away from church and others who can lift us up and help us “put our hope in God” like the Psalmist said.

Remember, after Elijah had a great victory on Mt. Carmel, he founf himself under a tree wanting to die. Long story short, God told him to eat and take a nap. Sometimes, a good nutritious meal and a nice nap changes our perspective on things. As a Chrisitan, fellowship with other believers gives us rest for our weary souls and the spiritual food we need to contunie to live that abundant life that God intended us to have.

I have seen this far too often over the years as a pastor and a therapist. Especially in the church where we dont like to talk about mental health issues. We tend to feel that if I am not “happy, happy, joy joy” all the times then it must refelct on our faith or lack thereof. However, the Bible is full of people in the scriptures that had to deal with issue. Here are just a few examples of these heroes of the faith:

David dealt with depression in Psalm 43, 69, 88, 102
- Why so downcast my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your trust in God for I will yet praise thee”
After Job losses everything he had bouts of hoplessness and despair
Moses felt periods of discouragement and needed some pep talks form God
Jonah in the belly of the whale ( Yeah, I think I would be a little depressed too)
Peter weeped after he denyed Jesus three time
Judas (not so much a hero) committed suicide after he betrayed Jesus
Jeremiah was known as the “weeping prophet”

Even Jesus himself felt deep sadness the night he was betrayed as he thought about the road before him:

He began to show grief and distress in mind and was deeply depressed. Then he said unto them, My soul is very sad and deeply grieved, so that I am almost dying of sorrow”
Mathhew 26:37-38 (Amblified Bible)

But Paul in Romans gave us insight on how to deal with depression when it pokes its nasty head into our business.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit
Romans 15:13

What is some things that he dont really have when we are sad? It is hope, peace and joy. Paul tells us that God is the God of hope and that he will fill you with joy and peace “as you trust in Him”. Then when we trust in Him, we will “overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” This means that even though we are going through some things, the way we handle it will not only effect ouselves but those around us as well. In the misdst of the storm we will have peace, joy, hope knowing that God of hope will never leave us or forsake us.

So, how is the church supposed to address this topic instead of ignoring that it exists within the church walls? First, remember these important facts:

even Christians feel depressed or down at times,
ones worth as a Christian is not based upon how happy they feel. Happiness is a feeling that comes and go but joy is the inner peace that we have regardless of what we are going through,
since some depressed people may tend to be covert about how they feel, the church may need to be actively seeking out those who may be dealing with this issue but are too afraid to say anything about it.

Therefore, the we need to pray that the church will be whole in body, mind and spirit. Churches are good about praying about healing in the spirit and body but often neglect the mind. Counselors are good about focussing on healing of the mind but often neglect the body and spirit. We need to remember that our thoughts lead to our emotions and that will often lead to certain maladaptive behaviors. Furthermore, we need to pray for those who are depressed or wounded that they will seek out help. Finally, we need to change our thinking about mental health issues in the church and that He will remind those going through depression that they are “fearfully and wonderfully made”.

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When Anxiety Comes: Rejoice, Be Gentle, Be Thankful, and Think