What I’m going to talk about is a sensitive subject, because I’ve seen a lot of controversy from it. But both are important to discuss, and both have a great effect on us. As Christians, we know that whatever troubles we have, we can take to Christ and He will hide us beneath the shelter of His arms. But as humans, we know that no matter what, if something difficult comes our way, our anxiety gets the better of us, more often than not.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “You’re a Christian and you still have anxiety?”
Yes, I do. Every day I wrestle with it.
“But don’t you have Jesus living inside you? Doesn’t he make you happy? Doesn’t he take all your cares away?”
He absolutely does. Jesus is my Caretaker and my Refuge in the storms of life, but I’m still human, and I still battle with anxiety.
Anxiety is a very real thing, whether you’re a Christian or not. It’s like a monster lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce on you, take you by your strings and control you like a puppet. It’s almost impossible to escape. It’s relentless, and it’s almost always there, waiting, mocking.
A lot of people think that their anxiety is wrong. But let me tell you—it’s not. Every human has anxiety about something, and its severity ranges differently for everyone. For some, it’s only a small voice in your head. For others, it’s like a chorus of howling wolves, gnawing from the inside out, tormenting your soul until it feels barren and scraped dry.
I know this sounds depressing, and truthfully, it can be. Anxiety is a dark, depressing, aggravating thing. But rather than living with it and excepting the fact that it’s always going to be there, we have a Shelter, a Relief, an Overcomer. His name is Jesus.
Jesus understands your anxiety. He sees that you’re struggling with your doubts, your second thoughts, your battling with your flesh, and He’s there to aid you in that. He’s not going to chastise you for having anxiety—he’s going to help you press on despite it.
Philippians 4:6 says “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” I know this sounds controversial to what I’ve been saying. The verse clearly states not to be anxious about anything; however, I don’t believe it means you can’t be anxious about something. God did not intend for us as His people to battle with this beast called anxiety, but we do. We have to accept that our very humanity is burdened by it daily.
What this verse means is that it’s not that we’ll never experience anxiety—or that it’s wrong to—it’s that we shouldn’t give in to it. Rather than being weighed down by whatever it may be that you’re anxious about, lift it up to Jesus. Let Him hold you and keep you safe. Don’t battle your anxiety alone—let the Lion of Judah fight in your place. Victory comes when peace takes over.
So, what I’m trying to say is, anxiety comes with the package of humanity. It’s not something you can take or leave—it’s always going to be there, whether we like it or not. But it can be overcome with the power of Jesus. Don’t beat yourself up if it becomes too much; a lot of times it is, and there’s nothing we can do about it except give it to the Father and rest in His peace and comfort and surround ourselves with the people who make us the best versions of ourselves. When we do that, the victory is ours. Every time.
