Combating Anxiety With God's WordExemplo

I’ve noticed for quite awhile now that when my anxiety is high, my OCD tendencies start a flareup. I’ll feel like I’m going nuts because a book is turned a certain way, there’s a speck of dirt on my white tile floor, or there are clothes balled up in the corner of my room. All silly and frivolous things to be worried about, I know, but it doesn’t change the fact that I have anxiety or takes away the validity of it. It aggravates me to no end because I can’t escape anxiety—no pills, no amount of prayer or even counseling can cure me of this mental illness. I know anxiety and OCD will always be a part of my life. I cry out in anguish and wonder why things have to be this way and why I can’t just be normal.

Anxiety, OCD, and stress force us unknowingly to focus on ourselves and why we feel or act a certain way. The self-analyzing and self-internalizing process of thought can easily start to become the new norm. For me, I began on this downward spiral of self-reflection, and it turned into self-obsession. I was in a pit of despair with no means of light (or so I thought) and no earthly idea of how to get myself out of this.

Sisters, anxiety, OCD, depression…they are not life sentences. You do not have to be slave to the inner turmoil which beckons all your energy proving exhaustion. Instead, dive into the Scriptures. Force yourself to focus on Christ instead of focusing on what is broken within you. He makes us whole. The truths in Scripture are the remedies for our hurting souls. Although we may never overcome these illnesses, Jesus Christ promises to sustain us through them all. We can overcome the pit of despair when we make a conscious effort to focus on Him and what He has done for us. His grace is sufficient. Don’t give up. Don’t lose faith. Rejoice.