Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27 ESV
Have you ever had your heart deeply hurt then had someone tell you to buck up and get over it? Or perhaps as a child you fell and skinned your knee and began to cry – your dad’s response was, “Come on now … you’re okay.” Feels terrible and is completely unhelpful, right? It predictably worsens your pain.
Nothing is much worse than experiencing anxiety and having someone tell you it’s a sin. Numerous Christians believe that, and well-meaning pastors (some as well-known as John Piper) insist that because God says, “Don’t be anxious,” it is a sin. To have unbidden anxiety crowd your mind, trouble your spirit, even make you physically sick, is clearly not what God wants for you, but is it a sin? Let’s be reasonable, rational, and spiritual. More than that, let’s be like Jesus. Let’s look at anxiety and what God has actually said and done.
First, God designed our bodies and wired us to intercept danger, to prepare us for future good results. Anxiety involves bodily chemical reactions when we sense something wrong or fearful. To be a sin, it must involve our freewill. We don’t initially choose anxiety. Yes, we are responsible to work with God to handle anxiety responsibly and with His help, but having it is not a sin. Sinning can exacerbate anxiety, but simply having it is not sin. Our body cooperates with anxiety positively when we respond correctly. For instance, if we have anxiety about a test, dopamine is released into our bodies that motivates and helps us study and prepare for the test. We do better, and anxiety is relieved. Our future is helped.
Jesus Himself experienced great anxiety – He was troubled in spirit on numerous occasions recorded in the Gospels by eyewitnesses. During His time in Gethsemane before His arrest and death, He knew what lay ahead of Him. He struggled so much that He sweat drops of blood. But He pushed on even with His anxiety, telling His Father He was willing to do whatever was God’s will. Jesus came through more than we can ever imagine with the peace He wants to give us.
All through the Word of God we are told that the Holy Spirit will prompt us and teach us. Read the stories. Often the prompting came as concern and God used it. Anxiety is like a smoke alarm, telling us something needs attention. We can obediently take it to God, give Him the situations, and fully cooperate with His wisdom. Anxiety feels bad, and anything that feels bad we treat like a disease. But God can help us and even use it for good as we lean into His grace.
- Accept the truth -- anxiety comes with being human. Don’t add to it by feeling guilty. Talk to Jesus step by step and accept His grace and peace.