Do you experience anxiety? Do you know somebody who does? I think we all either experience it ourselves, or know somebody going through it. Being human, and being part of this world, means that we experience human emotions. That includes anxiety. It is very real. I did a little research and I found out some interesting statistics. An estimated 31.1% of U.S. adults experience an anxiety disorder at some time in their lives. Currently, 40 million adults in the U.S. (19.1%) have an anxiety disorder. In the United States, it is estimated that around 6.2% percent of the population suffers from an anxiety disorder. Wow! That is a lot of people.
Unfortunately, some people live with anxiety on a daily basis. They can’t outrun it. They can’t hide from it. There’s no safe place. Panic sets in. It can become hard to breathe. These can all lead to fear and self doubt. Other emotions can cause the same types of feelings. Depression is an example. Different types of phobias as well. The point that I am trying to make here is that living as humans means that we live with different emotions that are hard to deal with. In a conversation I was having with a veteran, we were talking about this topic. And he said it perfectly: “We don’t live in the Garden of Eden. We lost that.“ Oh how correct he is!
Now here is what is awesome. No matter what we live with. No matter what we go through. No matter what emotion, or emotions, we face. We all can experience God during these times. We can turn to him. We can run to him. We can fall into his arms. We can live “anxious for nothing” because of him. Getting through these emotional experiences isn’t based on anything that we can do. Isn’t based on anything that we can produce. Getting through these things is built on the presence of God. It is through his presence that we find peace. And I believe this final point. I believe that we can overcome anxiety, depression, fear, etc. I believe we can overcome them over time if we continually seek God‘s presence. They are not going to go away. I’m not sure we can cure them. But God can get us through them, and ultimately, over them! But we must seek him.
