Will be doing a 2 hr lecture (9-11) on anxiety and a biblical response this Saturday at Church of the Savior, Wayne, PA. Will post slides on the articles, slides, etc. page. Looking forward to being there. I did a similar talk there just after 9/11 and it interesting to see how some of my thinking has changed.
Category Archives: Anxiety
Good vs. bad guilt
In light of this week’s focus on anxiety, I am also thinking about how anxiety and guilt are often tied together. However, like a bad cough, guilt is not always productive. It may leave us helpless, passive, and further into despair. This is not a guilt from God that leads to conviction and action. It is from either ourselves (breaking rules we thought we never would, not doing what we always thought we would, having a demand but knowing we ought not), culturally accepted guilt (if you don’t serve someone who asks, you feel guilty because you were taught to always say yes), or the Accuser (intended to defeat us).
Does your guilt cause you to cling more tightly to the cross and to rehearse God’s promises for you and for his people? Or does it cause you to slink away into a far corner? If the latter, get up and do one little thing that shows your submission to God’s story of your life.
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Filed under Anxiety
Fighting anxiety on 3 fronts
Anxiety (panic, OCD, PTSD, Generalized, phobias, etc.) is a multidetermined event. Any attempt to simplify down to either physiology or spiritual will be problematic. It is always a bodily event (everything we do is mediated through the cells), and it is always a spiritual event (nothing we do is neutral, everything either glorifies God or self). Multidetermined problems need multifaceted attacks. I think we do best to challenge our anxiety on these three fronts. Each front requires both body and soul so be careful not to think that one of the fronts is spiritual, one psychological, and one physical. All are involved in each front. Continue reading
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Filed under Anxiety, biblical counseling, christian psychology
Anxiety after successful ministry
Been musing this am on a couple of biblical passages where God’s children fell to anxiety and fear after wildly successful ministry. Consider Elijah’s experience on Mt. Carmel and then his running to the desert in fear of his life. Consider Peter’s proximity to a number of miracles only to fall back to fear and self-focus. Consider the passage of Luke 10-12. The 72 were sent out and performed amazing miracles; even the demons submitted to them (10:17). I’m sure the stories of God’s power spread quickly among Jesus’ followers. I’ll bet many were riding high. Now notice how then end of chapter 10 through 12 the number times Jesus addresses the worries of his followers: Continue reading
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Filed under Anxiety
Science Monday: The physiology of fear
Am teaching on anxiety, panic, and OCD tonight. Definition of anxiety: Responding to ambiguous stimuli (life situations) by reading them in the worst possible light. The Scriptures teach us that fear and worry are not good things. Time and time again God tells his people not to be afraid. We see that God wants us to see life through a different set of eyes, much as Elisha wanted his servant to see the army of angels instead of their enemies (2 Kings 6). But given the numerous encouragements to not give in to fear, we must admit it is a common struggle for every human being. Some struggle more than others.
What is going on with those whose lives are filled with worry and fear? Are they less spiritual? More sinful? It is easy to say, “buck up” to folks who are anxious–and entirely unhelpful to most. Logical challenges may help some in the moment, but usually don’t get to the root of the matter. Jesus encourages fearful people by pointing them to seeing life from 40,000 feet. He doesn’t deny risk and suffering but encourages folks to keep their eyes on him. And with Peter, he reaches out to grab ahold of him even when he does start looking at the waves.
But what of the physiology of anxiety? What do we know and how does the christian counselor make use of the data. First, what do we know? Continue reading
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Filed under Anxiety, counseling science
The downside to rehearsing hero stories
Connecting the themes of Monday (MLK) and Tuesday (seeing your future), I’ve been thinking about how we romanticize our heroes and their lives, how we rehearse certain parts of our heroes’ lives and neglect the parts that are more like our own experiences. I’m not talking about ignoring their flaws but rather about the ways we ignore how difficult their lives were and the fears they must have experienced. We see the success (e.g., significant civil rights progress), remember how brave a particular hero was (MLK willing to be jailed despite opportunities to be bailed out), but forget the day-to-day fears they faced. What might become of me? Am I doing the right thing?
Did MLK know what was going to happen to him. One of his last sermons certainly hinted that he might not “get there” with the audience. And why not, he’d been stabbed, beaten, bombed, threatened daily for years. But I suspect there were days and nights of fear, worry, and second-guessing. There had to be days of wanting to go someplace to be safe and not ever bothered again. His challenge was knowing that since he felt God’s call to stay and fight was that God would be good enough and give enough “manna” for the next day.
I think we often rehearse the strength of biblical characters as well and at times neglect their fears. We see in much of David’s poetry that would suggest he spent many a dark night fearing that he would not be protected by God. It is easy to think about David’s courage with Goliath, his righteous response to Saul’s attempts to kill him, his joy in dancing before the Lord, but sometimes forget that he, like us, struggled to know just what God was up to in his life.
Thinking about their struggles not only increases my compassion but encourages me to keep waiting on the Lord in hope and faith for whatever he chooses to bring my way.
Musings on Faith and Psychology 