A N X I E T Y

It’s been normalized. It’s been shut down. It’s been put off. It’s been covered up. It’s been increasing. It’s been seen as weakness.

I’ve felt this on my heart for a while, but really didn’t have the words and I felt like the Lord wasn’t providing much for me. (Hence the past few weeks not having a blog out). But after the constant anxiety of the past few weeks, I realized the Lord was truly having me walk through and go through battling it myself and assisting others with it to then have something to truly say.

Dear Christian who struggles with Anxiety,

I hear you. I know the war you feel within yourself. I know the unrelenting thoughts and guilt you feel while having anxiety while at the same time loving Jesus. I know the feeling of wanting to cover your brokenness, shove it to the side, act as if you have a continuous full cup. I know the accusations the enemy hits your soul with day after day, the shame and guilt you feel that you should never have anxiety, struggles or fears. I know the thoughts of understanding you have freedom but not feeling it or truly knowing.

I lived most of my life not knowing the Lord. I believed all the lies of “everyone struggles with it so it’s fine if I do to” or, “this is just who I am now”. I claimed anxiety as my identity and made sure I owned up to it. I lived most of high school and my first few years of college as an anxious busy body. I did the things on my schedule with constant fears and a tight chest.

After I surrendered my life to Jesus roughly a year and a half ago, I thought I never would struggle who most sins again. I had Jesus, isn’t he suppose to wipe me clean from them?

What I didn’t realize was that although I am free, made new in Christ and secure in him, the full reality of this transformation is progressive. It is a daily renewal. Anxiety won’t just go away. Depression won’t just go away. Most things of our life won’t just go away. Yes Jesus can perform miracles, but often it takes work on our part too.

So, I hear you. I see you. I am with you. I have been struggling with an enormous amount of anxiety for the past month; and I cannot tell you why. I cannot tell you why I haven’t been sleeping. I cannot tell you why I don’t feel an abundance of joy. I cannot tell you why my chest is tight and my thoughts are overwhelming. But I can tell you, our Savior’s power to heal is bigger than any of the things causing anxiety, and anxiety itself. Even when we don’t understand what is creating the anxiety, we must understand our creator has power over our anxiety.

If he was strong enough to conquer death, he is strong enough to conquer the stronghold of anxiety.

You are not a failure in Christ. He is at work within you, waging war on your behalf and leading you toward eternal victory. He is for you. Your savior is for you and this battle is not your own to fight. He is with you through your fears (Isaiah 41:10). He is for you when worries tear down your hope (Romans 8:31). God is for you.

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My prayer for you is this..

Do not give up. Speak scripture over thoughts. Call for help. Anxiety is not and will never be from God.

Look to his word and know that many beloved- by - God people struggled with anxiety. Abraham had serious apprehensions about God destroying Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18). Moses had anxiety about his own abilities (Exodus 4). Jesus experienced a great amount of anxiety in fear in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Jesus is the example of how we are to live. He didn’t bottle his anxiety up; he was open . (Mark 14:32). He went to his community, and he went to his Father in prayer.

Know that where you are now, is not where you will always be. Anxiety isn’t your future. Jesus is. It is not a lack of faith or a statement of your trust in Him.

Anxiety and Jesus can coexist.

Anxiety is not just simply a fear.

Anxiety is different for everyone.

Being on medications is not a sign of weakness nor should create a feeling of shame.

Dear Christian dealing with anxiety,

you are not alone. You are valued. Your life has meaning. You will be set free from it.

Do not let anxiety win over your life.