Relatable Jesus (Part 2: Anxiety)

Anxiety

I was in a 7th grade social studies class, when suddenly my heart began to race, my mind began to fill up with thoughts racing, my face turning red, and absolutely unable to catch my breath. My first panic attack, of course it had to be in front of a bunch of mean middle school kids that pretty much never let me live it down, but it would definitely not be my last. Anxiety is something I have struggled with since.. for me personally it wasn’t something that was brought on situational it was brought on out of nowhere at random times. I would just start downloading thoughts in my brain too much too fast. It would cause me to be frustrated and overstimulated with my surroundings. Most of my life I had no idea how to control it or what to do. Also for the majority of my life there wasn’t as much awareness on the topic as there is now. So lets dive in to the feelings of anxiety and the Bible.

Continuing on through our topic, Relatable Jesus, anxiety is just another thing Jesus came, experienced first hand, conquered and thankfully showed us exactly how to overcome. After the Lords Supper, and moments before His arrest, Jesus headed to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he took with him a few disciples to keep watch and pray, as He also stepped away to be alone with the Father. He expressed to the disciples in Mark 14:34 “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me”

Through the gospel accounts we conclude this was a moment for Jesus filled with torment, unease, sorrow and grief for the things that were coming. He fell to the ground and cried out in verse 36, “Abba, everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done not mine.” This is such a powerful verse for me, and honestly one of the verses that made me fall most in love with him. In this moment he is showing the vulnerability of the flesh, that he’s scared and he doesn’t want to go thru the agony that awaits him, he wants to know if there is any other way possible for mankind to be saved, and if there is, then he is pleading with God that he be spared. That’s a deep moment filled with so many emotions, more importantly even thru his pleading and his torment, he STILL says he wishes for the will of the Father to be done nonetheless. It tells is in Luke he was filled with so much anguish he was sweating drops of blood, a condition known as hermatohidrosis, caused by extreme physical or emotional stress. It’s one thing to know that he came to earth as the Son of God and Died for our sins, its another when the details are painted out, of how hard this was for him. How brutal it was for Him to know what was coming, to even know that the people you were doing it for, were in fact the ones doing it to you. Then even further for ME to know that he chose to push thru all of this, so that I MAY LIVE?? So that he can spend ETERNITY WITH ME? That’s the definition of love. That’s what makes me what to spend eternity doing my absolute best to love Him back the way he loved me.

Furthermore, in this is a teaching moment as well. A moment he again gives us the instructions to get through the feelings of this anxiety. The key is; Prayer. Jesus got down on His face and prayed to the Father, he prayed through his anguish. He told his friends to pray for him. Then through his prayer God sent and angel of strength, and Jesus just continued to pray MORE. He reminded us that the flesh is weak, but that the spirit is willing, and the answer is simply prayer. Philippians 4:6-7 addresses anxiety “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ”

In a recent research study it was discovered that anxiety and gratitude essentially live in the same part of the brain, the limbic system. The study shows that the two emotions cannot mutually exist simultaneously. When gratitude is activated it counteracts the signals of anxiety.

So just as Jesus showed us, falling on your knees in prayer and thanking the Lord is in fact how we are able to gain the strength to get through our moments of anxiety.

And again one of the many ways Jesus came here to earth to not only save us from our sins, but to show us exactly how to live and handle the situations of our daily life and struggles.

“Lord, Our Father in Heaven. Thank you for your sacrifice for our sins. Thank you for loving me so much that you let nothing stand in the way of the will of the Father, and let nothing stand in the way of your desire to spend eternity with me. I love you, and I pray you give me wisdom and knowledge of the things I may do to make your day better and to glorify you. In Jesus name I pray these things Amen”