Don’t Go At This Alone
One important thing NOT to do is go at this alone. There are a lot of reasons we do not want to tell anyone what is going on, such as pride, embarrassment, not wanting to burden others, or maybe a lack of trust in anyone. Whatever the reason, you need to disregard them and reach out to someone. If you have anxiety, you need help and prayer.
Rather than burden my family or friends with my issues, I would try to suppress them until I exploded with rage. Because of my stubbornness, I became Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to my own family. We all want to be an example of love and an encouragement to our family, but I was a temperamental monster whom everyone had to approach with caution. For my family’s sake, I reached out to a friend and to the care Pastor of our Church. I chose to be vulnerable, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.
Jesus, who is God in the flesh, asked his closest friends, Peter, James, and John, to pray with him in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was here that Jesus came to terms with His inevitable torture, ridicule, and crucifixion that would take place that day. Our Savior was so distressed that he bled tears. In His darkest time, he called out to His friends. If Jesus, through whom all things were created (John 1:3), can reach out to His friends, then there is no reason we can’t do the same.
Get yourself connected to a Bible Study or Life Group at your Church, specifically one that has a focus on stress, anxiety, or any kind of bondage. Be committed to attending regularly and being open and honest. Be vulnerable. Attending the group must be one of your highest priorities. If your Church doesn’t have life groups, then find a Church that does. If you are not mobile do not fret, there are plenty of resources online. If you are reading this, then you have access to help.
Give your anxiety away. What I mean by that, don’t try to hide it or be embarrassed or ashamed. The more you are open and honest about it, the more you come to terms with it and get rid of it, until there is nothing left. This does not mean to overburden the people in your life group with your issues or to tell everyone you meet. When there is an opportunity to share, then share.
You also need to spend time listening. There are people who you can help, and others that can help you. But you can only be helped if you apply what you learn. Proverbs 3:14 says, “Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.” There are some people who seem to guard their misery as if it were their best friend because they never seem to apply what they learn. You will know this is you if you find people avoiding you, no longer engaging you in conversation, or you don’t build long-lasting relationships. But that is OK. There is a solution for that as well, and I cover it in the next devotional.
I included some links below to find a group in your area. Make certain to consult with your pastor, or a wise friend that you trust, and find a group together. Do not go at this alone.
Links to groups:
https://adaa.org/supportgroups
https://www.meetup.com/topics/christian/
https://www.meetup.com/topics/anxiety-support/
https://www.mentalhelp.net/about/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/groups/anxiety
Bible Verses
Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” 37 He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. 38 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
Matthew 26:36-38 (ESV)
Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
James 5:14-15 (ESV)
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2 (ESV)