By Brooke Cranford | Broadcast Reporter
For many believers, faith is central to identity. We worship, attend church and quote Scripture about peace that “surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). Yet when the worries of the world start to overwhelm us, the immediate response is often shame or fear of judgment.
If I trust God, why am I still anxious? If I really believe, shouldn’t I feel peace all the time? What if I am not as close to God as I thought? Am I a real Christian or just performative?
These are all questions the enemy is placing in your head to make you question your spiritual walk with God. The best way to combat these is to turn to the living word of God, because Scripture itself tells us a different story.
In Romans 12:2, Paul tells us, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This is just one way to help combat what the enemy might be feeding your mind. Instead of letting it ruin your mindset, reset your day with God’s promises.
The shortest verse in many English versions of the Bible is John 11:35, “Jesus wept.” The son of God, fully divine, crying in public. This verse immediately follows the death of Lazarus. And then, Jesus tells Lazarus to rise and walk out of the grave. He does.
So why was Jesus crying if he knew the ending? It was not because of a lack of faith. His tears came from sadness. — not just because of Lazarus’ death, but because he saw the pain that Lazarus’ sisters were experiencing. Just because he knew the ending does not mean he wasn’t sad about the in-between. Jesus was human, too.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38). Jesus said this the night before he was crucified. He was not spiritually weak because he was filled with sorrow; he was a man who knew of his brutal death to come.
God sent his son, Jesus, down from heaven in human form so he could build a relationship with us. Jesus was, and still is, perfect in every way. He knows the end of every story, so nothing is a surprise to him. Yet, with death looming, he cried. He knew he would be resurrected, yet he mourned.
Anxiety, stress and feeling overwhelmed are natural things that happen to all of us, simply because we’re human. God does not tell us that he will rid us of negative feelings; rather, he gives us a simple solution: pray.
Paul writes in Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything,” and follows it with an instruction: “instead, pray about everything.” The command is not to never be anxious or stressed; it is to bring these feelings to God. Faith gives anxiety a direction, not denial.
Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 11:28 is not to fix yourself first. It is “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” The weary are invited, the burdened are welcomed, the anxious and stressed are not disqualified.
If the Church becomes a place where mental health struggles are hidden, we miss the very heart of the gospel: grace for the imperfect, strength for the weak and hope for the overwhelmed.
Do not beat yourself up because you have feelings of stress, anxiety or just “off days.” You are not weak in your faith because of these worldly feelings.
Your faith in Jesus doesn’t cancel your stress levels, but it does mean you aren’t alone in it. And perhaps, the most faithful thing we can do is admit that.
In Matthew 28:20, God says, “for I am always with you until the end of days.” He won’t leave you in any scenario. He is always there, knocking on the door to your heart, waiting for you.
Run back to Jesus. His arms are always open for you. He walked this sinful Earth. He understands what you are going through and is the only one who is with you through all your struggles and successes. Jesus loves you unconditionally.
