Anxiety and Faith

A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.                   Ecclesiastes 4:12

I recently spoke with a client who is dealing with anxiety. She has struggled with it for years, but her anxiety was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and because of that she sought treatment. The COVID pandemic has raised awareness of mental health needs in this country, and indeed, the entire world. I think there is a silver lining in the worst of situations when we look for it.

One of the huge downsides of the pandemic is how it caused division politically, socially, and even in faith communities. It seems that in some church congregations there were those who were upset with government closings of social gatherings, or mask mandates, and this caused much friction and dissent.

Some pastors took their congregations in directions that seemed to pit religious faith vs. scientific responses. The sad part of this is that science and faith/religion are not adversaries. Indeed, the Creator of science is the Creator of the world. The universe is ordered by that Creator’s grand design. God is no more opposed to science than an inventor is to his/her invention.

The anxiety exacerbated by the COVID pandemic was not a lack of faith, but rather the reaction by people to a threat. Anxiety was heightened in all, but for some, it was overwhelming. Anxiety is not too little faith in God. The solution is not simply “You need to pray and trust God more”. If that were the solution, there would be no anxiety. Rather, treatment of anxiety requires self-awareness, and willingness to seek multi layered solutions of all parts of our being- physical, spiritual and emotional. It requires us to reach out to others to help us when we are not able to stand alone.  

Indeed, trust in God is a critical part of dealing with anxiety, but no person suffering from anxiety should be shamed by others as “lacking faith”. God gives us tools to deal with anxiety in every dimension of our being.

Let us thank him for his provision.

Prayer: Lord, you have made us strong and vulnerable at the same time. Thank you for the tools you have given to deal with those vulnerabilities, Amen