Anxiety? Jesus Gotchu

My Jesus Mercy by Andy Schmalen

I'm an anxious gal. I like to overthink things and cry over them. (Not that I enjoy it, just that it's a frequent habit.) I haven't gotten checked out for anything, but I've got a constant feedback loop in the back of my mind telling me that I'm not good enough and everyone secretly hates me. About 50% of me is rational and knows these things aren't true, but the other 50% fully believes it and is committed to making me feel awful about myself. 

Last night, I witnessed six baptisms. On Sunday, I witnessed twenty-four. Last Wednesday, I witnessed two. And you know what's funny? Almost every single young person who has given their testimony before getting baptized has spoken about their struggles with mental health. Almost every one of them has struggled with anxiety, depression, loneliness, or worse. 

We're well aware that Gen Z is riddled with mental health issues and that our culture is facing a serious happiness deficit. We know that the least we can do is be kind, and that over-labeling every problem in life isn't helping. (If you can't tell, I've already written a lot about happiness, or the lack thereof.) Here's the thing, though. We've tried therapy. We've tried meds. We've tried doomscrolling, and that doesn't seem to be helping either. Despite the fact that around 30% of Gen Z is in therapy, we're still the most depressed generation ever. 

And you know what I think some of you haven't tried yet? Going to church. Now, before you throw your hands up in protest, hear me out. It is a scientific fact that has been statistically proven that going to church can increase a person's happiness and decrease anxiety. There is real factual evidence that proves that Jesus can make you feel better. 

And to be honest, it isn't much of a surprise. Throughout His ministry, He healed people of all kinds of ailments, from leprosy to demonic possession. Who's to say He can't heal your heart? 

In Mark 1, Jesus casts out a demon from a possessed man, heals Simon's mother-in-law,  and cleanses a leper. In Mark 2, he restores the ability to walk to a man who has been paralyzed his entire life. In Mark 3, he heals a man's deformed hand, and in Mark 5, he casts out another demon, heals a woman who has suffered a bleeding disorder her entire life, and raises Jairus's daughter from the dead. In Mark 6, he heals the sick in Gennesaret and restores hearing to a deaf man. In Mark 8, he restores sight to the blind. In Mark 9, he casts out a demon from a child. In Mark 10, he heals another blind man. And this is just one Gospel account of his ministry. 

If in the three approximate years his ministry lasted, he could heal and restore all of those people and more, what could possibly stop him from healing you? 

But wait a minute, you say, Jesus isn't walking the earth anymore. How is he supposed to heal me? Let me tell you about this really cool thing that happens after Jesus's ascension to Heaven. So Jesus dies on the cross, is raised from the dead three days later, and then, after talking to his disciples, is taken up to Heaven in a cloud. The disciples are waiting for a sign Jesus promised them, and that sign comes in the form of fire appearing over all of their heads. Suddenly, the Spirit of God is living inside the disciples. This is a huge deal because in the past, God's presence lived only inside the Temple. Now, the church is the Temple. I don't mean the church building, I mean the actual people who make up the church. So, in fact, Jesus is still walking the earth, because He dwells in the hearts of all the people who believe in Him. 

Wait a minute once more, you say! How is the church supposed to heal me when the church is what hurt me! (Yeah, believe it or not, I do know that's what some of you are thinking.) Guess what? You're not the only person who's been hurt by the church. I have been hurt by the church. I would guess at least 2 in 10 people have been hurt by the church. Because here's the thing: Yes, the Holy Spirit lives in people's hearts. But those people are still people. They're still imperfect. They are going to fail, and they are going to fall, and on the way down, they're probably going to hurt other people, or hurt themselves. But it isn't Jesus who hurt you. It's the people who are, hopefully, trying their best to represent Him. You don't have to go back to the same church and the same people if you don't want to, but you should at least give Jesus a shot.

One of my favorite Bible verses is 1 Peter 5:7, which says to "cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you." That's exactly the point of this whole thing. Cast your anxieties on Him. Now, some of you are sitting there saying, Okay, that's great, but how do I do that? If I'm being entirely honest, I'm trying to figure out the same thing. I've been a believer for around ten years now, and it's still an everyday battle for me to let go of my anxieties. But I can give you what advice I do have. 

Seek the Lord. The book of Matthew says to "seek, and you will find" (7:7), and Psalm 34 says that "I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears." We don't know everything about God, but we know that when we seek the Lord, He answers. So seek him. Go to church. Turn on some worship music. Crack open that Bible that's been collecting dust on your shelf. (I know you have one, and if you don't, I have one you can have.) Pray. (It's not as scary as it sounds, I promise.)

Is it going to be easy? Probably not. The Bible tells us that "the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life" (Matthew 7:14). But it also tells us that Jesus is the Light and Life of the World. You're struggling just as much as I, and maybe more. If you've tried everything else, why not try Jesus? I can't promise you'll feel an immediate change, but I can tell you that when I read scripture, listen to worship music, or walk out of church, I feel an overwhelming sense of peace that I have yet to find anywhere else in the world. If Jesus can strip me of my anxiety, he can strip you of yours, too.