Anxiety
I may be the wrong person to write on this subject. Anxiety isn’t something I’ve battled for years. I grew up in a family that always put things into perspective and pulled themselves up by their bootstraps, so to speak, and expected me to do the same.
However, these last few weeks, I’ve been struggling with some minor anxiety over work. In the beginning days it was actually pretty awful. I spent the first weekend off work crying at random moments, I wasn’t sleeping well, and I lost all of my appetite. You know something is wrong when a foodie feels sick just from eating.
I came to the realization that if I continued on this way, I would be in trouble. So I sat myself down and analyzed what the issue really was. I came to the conclusion that I was caring too much about what my superiors thought of me and letting that define who I was. I was internalizing every little hiccup in the learning stages of my new job, catastrophizing situations at work, and entertaining thoughts of self-doubt.
What the Bible Says
Coming in to this past week, I knew I had to be proactive about taking back spiritual ground from the enemy; ground I had unknowingly given up. We are working through a series at church about peace from God and, as a consequence, we’ve talked a lot about anxiety. In a not as eloquent nutshell, here are the points I’ve taken away so far:
- It is not a sin to struggle with anxiety. What matters is how we work through it. Are we going to God for help, or are we giving in or even trying to battle it on our own strength?
- God is the giver of perfect peace. In the midst of a hurricane, when our world is crashing down around us, He can place us in the eye of the storm; giving us peace that surpasses all understanding.
- Remain in God and in constant prayer. Outpouring your heart to God allows you the space to unburden yourself and opens the doors for His peace to fill you.
Putting It Into Practice
Sunday night, I was determined I was going to take back enemy territory so to speak. He robbed me of my peace, and by golly, I wanted it back! So I became more proactive about praying constantly. I became more aware of negative thoughts, self-doubt, and anxiety over work, and I prayed in those moments. I commanded the devil to flee from me and instantly prayed for God’s peace. In every single instance, God was faithful. Every day I prayed for victory, that God would go before me and fight my battles. And guess what. This week was the best week of work yet! I now have confidence going into next Monday!
However, there will be instances in the future that may not go the way I want them to. Life will be a struggle at times, and just because I pray for peace doesn’t mean my situation will be less troubling. The apostle Paul wrote on anxiety and peace from a prison cell, awaiting his death. He was in a horrible situation that would have very easily been anxiety-producing. However, the joy of the Lord was his strength and he was able to live the moments leading up to his death consumed by the peace of God. That is what I want to be like. No matter how heavy or light my situation in life is, I want to always be praying for peace and resting in the Lord.
Closing Thoughts
Something that was mentioned in our sermon was a quote from a source I can’t quite remember. It was “America is the healthiest, wealthiest, and most anxious nation on earth.” In the message, our pastor quoted a study done by a secular researcher from Columbia University on the correlation between the secular trend in America today and the increase in anxiety. In the study, the author mentioned that people nowadays are without hope. For many years, the majority of Americans have put their hope in a higher power, and now, the trend is moving in the opposite direction. The author mentioned that this anxiety stems from people’s belief that they must battle their demons alone.
I know many people say correlation does not equal causation, but in this case, I know from personal experience that it does. Every time I have tried to conquer my personal battles without God, I have lost. However, the times I have handed my battles over to God, He has fought for me, won my battles, and conquered my demons.
This isn’t to say that if you’re a Christian you won’t struggle with anxiety. Rather, as I mentioned earlier, it’s what you do with the struggle. Do you fight it on your own strength? Or do you turn to the giver of life and perfect peace? The enemy will always be fighting for higher ground when it comes to our inner peace; for many people it will be a lifelong struggle. However, we serve a faithful God who will fight for us and give us life and peace whenever those struggles arise.
“Do not be anxious about anything. But in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” ~Philippians 4:6
Blessings on your home and table and go in His peace, ~Natalie
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