Anxiety is kind of the worst. It’s overwhelming and exhausting and confusing and despairing and heartbreaking. I’ve been told my entire life that Jesus is peace. So, in my mind, it has been so hard to figure out how Jesus and anxiety can co-exist, and most people would tell you that they can’t. However, for those of us who suffer with mental illness, we know that it actually is possible, and it doesn’t mean you're a bad Christian. The first step in understanding how Jesus and anxiety can exist together is to know what anxiety actually is. Anxiety, depression, and any other sort of mental illness is a chemical imbalance in the brain that can be managed with medicine, but not cured. If you’re praying constantly and you’re anxiety doesn’t go away that doesn’t mean that you’re a bad Christian or that Jesus isn’t listening. You’re a great Christian and Jesus is listening, but you have an illness that isn’t easy to control and can’t just go away. I think Christians with mental illness are some pretty tough people because being a Christian with anxiety comes with a lot of frustration. We ask ourselves, “God, I’m going to church, I’m praying daily, I’m reading my Bible. Why do I have to feel like this? Why is this something I have to endure? Why are there times when fear runs my life?” Well, the first thing to acknowledge is that it’s no ones fault. It’s not you’re fault, and it’s not God’s fault, it’s just the way the chemicals in your brain are. You can still fight anxiety and be a great Christian, because scripture tells us that God is close to the broken hearted. So, the next time you feel like a bad Christian because you keep trying to lay down your anxiety at the feet of Jesus and it doesn’t just disappear, know that you’re not alone. Many people feel this way too, and, more importantly, Jesus is right by you. He’s fighting the anxiety with you, holding your hand through the tears, and holding your hair back when you’re sick to your stomach. Jesus is with you in the anxiety. He’s close to the broken hearted and He wants you to know that you’re one tough Christian.
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