The Anxious aka "Bad" Christian

I have met with a number of coaching members who call themselves Christians and try to follow the teachings of Jesus. They are folks who struggle with anxiety and depression, and it impacts their ability to work, engage with others, do things they love, and even connect with God. They often share that they feel like a "bad Christian" because of this. After listening to them share their stories, what they've read in the Bible and heard from spiritual leaders, I understand why they're feeling this way. The Bible tells us not to be anxious and to take control of our thoughts. It tells us that God turns mourning into dancing and that the joy of the Lord is our strength. It says not to fear, and that when we suffer we should be happy about it. I believe all those things.

AND

I also believe that God gave us nervousness, trepidation, caution, and all the other emotions that comprise "anxiety". If I'm standing at the edge of a precipice I should feel some nervousness, caution, and anxiety and it should warn me to be careful and maybe back away or take some training, get some equipment and learn the art of rock repelling. If there's a storm coming I should be wary and nervous and seek shelter. So how do we reconcile the fact that God gave us these emotions, with the encouragement in the Bible to not be anxious?

I was listening to someone explain their story, their fears, their anxieties, and their feelings of failure as a Christian and I asked how they think Jesus would respond if He were there in my place. This was pivotal for them. Let's talk about that for a minute.

Chances are, if you've ever felt anxiety or depression, you've talked with someone about it. And hopefully that someone listened without judgement and made you feel seen and heard. Maybe you don't have someone like that in your corner, but imagine you did and how it might feel. Sometimes, that alone can lighten the heavy burden that anxiety and depression are, even if only for a moment.

SO...

If a person can listen well to you and make you feel validated and loved, how much more do you think Jesus might be able to do that? Since we've talked about the Scriptures that call out anxiety, let's talk about the Scriptures that call out God's character and heart for us.

The Bible says to cast all our cares on God, for he cares for us. It also says that he cares even for the sparrows, and he cares way more than that about us. It says that Jesus is "closer than a brother" and that he never leaves us or forsakes us. It says that God sacrificed himself because he loves us so much. And it says that we, human beings, can do kind and loving things for each other, and compared to what God feels for us and does for us, those kind and loving things seem "evil" because they pale in comparison!

Now, I am not telling you these things to give you hope and encouragement, in an attempt to assuage your anxieties, though I hope it does bring at least some. I'm reminding you of these aspects of God so that you can envision Jesus sitting in the place of your friend, coach or therapist who is listening to you with love and affection, making you feel seen and heard. Again, if a person can listen well to you and make you feel validated and loved, how much more do you think Jesus might be able to do that?

Here's your coaching moment. Imagine Jesus listening to you 100x better than your best listener, and imagine what he would say as he sits with you and makes you feel seen and heard. Does "You're a bad Christian" sound aligned with that kind of a response? What DOES sound more aligned?

I would be absolutely thrilled and honored to talk more about this with you in coaching. Reach out here on this site or through Instagram or Facebook for more info.