Noise - Week 4
Jack in the Box
In week 4 of our mental health series, Noise, Lead Pastor Aeric Wallace brought a message about an all-too-common phenomena: anxiety.
Inside each of us is a little box where we put our stress, fear, and anxiety. We don’t open the box or show anyone the box because it makes us vulnerable, but we live as though our box could pop open at any time.
In order to avoid our anxiety, we learn to avoid and control the areas or things where our anxiety lives. We can refer to this as “controlled anxiety” or the ability to control the pace of our living to avoid anxiety-inducing situations.
This is not the life God wants for us. In John 10:10 it says, “The thief comes only to steal and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Instead of living in fear of our box popping open, the Lord wants us to live freely without anxiety — but that’s easier said than done.
In this way, the Lord is willing to take on our anxieties, stop our fear, and strengthen our minds by simply handing ourselves back to us.
However, when we try to slow down or control situations, our anxiety can actually cause more anxiety. We can refer to this type of anxiety as “out of control anxiety” where we haven’t stopped moving because we think it’s best to run through the anxiety rather than work through it.
Everything in our world is designed to cause anxiety. This is one of the fallbacks from sin entering the world. We all hope there are possibilities and answers outside our anxiety, but sometimes it can be hard to believe there is.
However, we can know that the Lord wants to take your anxiety away. In fact, in 1 Peter 5:7, we are told to “Cast all your anxieties on Him, because he cares for you” and in Matthew 11:28-30, the Lord says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
We all carry incredible burdens, but God is willing to trade his burden for ours. In this way, the Lord is willing to take on our anxieties, stop our fear, and strengthen our minds by simply handing ourselves back to us. We can give God our box, and he will stop it from popping open.
Catch up with the rest of the series here!
