"Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Phil 4:6
Anyone of us that has dealt with Anxiety has looked at this verse at some point in time in our lives. When we read this verse and still feel anxious we feel more defeated and even more anxious. That leads us to the topic of the blog today which is how do we balance faith and anxiety?
Many Americans suffer with Anxiety. Anxiety will manifest its self in different ways with different people. Those who don't struggle with anxiety do not fully understand what someone who does is going through. Thus, they will say you just need to have more faith. Is it really that simply? The answer is yes and no
For some it is simply surrendering to trusting God. For others, it is a chemical imbalance and has nothing to do with faith.
I would like to share with you all my story. There was a time when I would have been too anxious to share my battle with anxiety for fear of what people would think or the judgement that would come.
I have struggled with anxiety for around 6 or 7 years now. I am not sure how long for I never realized it till about 5 year ago one doctor told me I had anxiety. He wanted to put me on medication for it and I said no way.
How could I, a pastor, take meds for anxiety. I just need to have more faith. So for a few more years I continued try and deal with my anxiety on my own. It got to the point where I did not want to go anywhere. I wanted to stay at home because of what might happen if I try to go out and do stuff. When I took my days off from work and the wife wanted to go somewhere, I would make up some excuse why we couldn't go or find some more work that needed done.
A day came when I listened to a sermon from another pastor who was dealing with anxiety and how after he went on meds for his anxiety he became a new person. I believe that God led me to that message for I needed to here that as a Pastor, as a man of faith, there is nothing wrong with needing to take medication for my anxiety
Let me put it this way; If you break a bone in your body do you sit and home and have faith that it just heals on its own or do you go to the doctor to get it set and get some meds for the pain. When anxiety is a chemical imbalance it has nothing to do with faith. Once I realized this, I was able to get on medication that helps me. I feel like a new person.
I wanted to share this with anyone who may be having the same struggle that I have dealt with. If you are struggling with anxiety it is ok to reach out for help. If you know someone with anxiety know that their battle is real. Love them and encourage the as best as you can.
Anyone who would like to talk with me about your struggle feel free to reach out.
Balancing Faith and Anxiety
"Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Phil 4:6
Anyone of us that has dealt with Anxiety has looked at this verse at some point in time in our lives. When we read this verse and still feel anxious we feel more defeated and even more anxious. That leads us to the topic of the blog today which is how do we balance faith and anxiety?
Many Americans suffer with Anxiety. Anxiety will manifest its self in different ways with different people. Those who don't struggle with anxiety do not fully understand what someone who does is going through. Thus, they will say you just need to have more faith. Is it really that simply? The answer is yes and no
For some it is simply surrendering to trusting God. For others, it is a chemical imbalance and has nothing to do with faith.
I would like to share with you all my story. There was a time when I would have been too anxious to share my battle with anxiety for fear of what people would think or the judgement that would come.
I have struggled with anxiety for around 6 or 7 years now. I am not sure how long for I never realized it till about 5 year ago one doctor told me I had anxiety. He wanted to put me on medication for it and I said no way.
How could I, a pastor, take meds for anxiety. I just need to have more faith. So for a few more years I continued try and deal with my anxiety on my own. It got to the point where I did not want to go anywhere. I wanted to stay at home because of what might happen if I try to go out and do stuff. When I took my days off from work and the wife wanted to go somewhere, I would make up some excuse why we couldn't go or find some more work that needed done.
A day came when I listened to a sermon from another pastor who was dealing with anxiety and how after he went on meds for his anxiety he became a new person. I believe that God led me to that message for I needed to here that as a Pastor, as a man of faith, there is nothing wrong with needing to take medication for my anxiety
Let me put it this way; If you break a bone in your body do you sit and home and have faith that it just heals on its own or do you go to the doctor to get it set and get some meds for the pain. When anxiety is a chemical imbalance it has nothing to do with faith. Once I realized this, I was able to get on medication that helps me. I feel like a new person.
I wanted to share this with anyone who may be having the same struggle that I have dealt with. If you are struggling with anxiety it is ok to reach out for help. If you know someone with anxiety know that their battle is real. Love them and encourage the as best as you can.
Anyone who would like to talk with me about your struggle feel free to reach out.