Even if you don’t struggle with anxiety and depression, it’s certain that you know someone who does. The PPDA (Psychophysiologic Disorders Association) lists dozens of chronic illnesses that are directly caused by anxiety or depression, including chronic muscle pains, migraines, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue. Like a vicious taskmaster, anxiety and depression lash the mind until neuro-pathways of fear and pain are formed.
I wish I could say that Christians are exempt from the effects of fear, but to say so would be a lie. Even our Lord Jesus experienced anxiety at times, which Christians are reminded of when we participate in Holy Communion. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ said to his disciples, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me” (Matt. 26:38); Jesus was “a man of sorrows,” and knew what it meant to feel afraid. In the body and blood of Christ we are reminded of his humanity.
Rich Mullins, one of the finest Christian…
