Test your knowledge. Put your hand over the screen and guess the three most common mental disorders in the US. They are, in order, with lifetime prevalence rates: Anxiety disorders (about 18%), mood disorders (about 10%), and ADHD (about 5%).<\/p>\n
It might come as a surprise to you, but anxiety rates significantly higher than depression. Actually, in the Diagnostic Manual put out by the American Psychiatric Association, anxiety diagnoses seem to be multiplying like rabbits. Here are the primary ones:<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Acute stress disorder (\u2018shellshocked,\u2019 \u2018gunshy,\u2019 \u2018once-burned, twice shy\u2019)<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Agoraphobia (fear of being trapped)<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Panic disorder (panic attacks)<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Social phobia (extreme shyness)<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Specific phobia (such as fear of snakes)<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Obsessive-compulsive disorder (using rituals to stave off fear)<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Post-traumatic stress disorder (trauma-induced flashbacks and nightmares, etc.)<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Generalized anxiety disorder (fear of everything).<\/p>\n
Sum up these diagnoses and you have the staggering near 20 percent lifetime prevalence rate.<\/p>\n
Make a fearful face for a moment. Notice your eyes\u2014they\u2019re wide open. Notice the \u2018o\u2019 of your lips and your flared nostrils. Fear literally opens up the orifices of the face so that we can take in more information about the potential threat. This way we can see, smell and taste it better, process the information, and scream if necessary. In other words, when afraid we pay extremely close attention to the object of our fear. Fear engages our focus.<\/p>\n
Focusing on a car barreling down your lane enables you to make a life-saving swerve. Noticing a snarling Doberman, cues you to pick up a rock. In situations like this, fear can be a good, protective thing. But pathological fear leads us to focus exclusively on non-threats, often causing us to miss actual threats. Post-traumatic stress possesses this tragic feature, leading victims into dissociative hypervigilance. We can be so afraid of thugs in dark alleys that we miss the white-collar criminal at the front door. In addition, long-term, unabated stress causes a plethora of health complications.<\/p>\n
The Bible contains a very simple formula for anxiety management. It involves redirecting our fear to a place where it can be ultimately resolved. Recall Jesus\u2019 words: \u201cFear not those who can kill the body but not the soul, but fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell,\u201d Matthew 10:28. Here Jesus redirects our fear from \u2018them\u2019\u2013human threats, to \u2018Him,\u2019 God. The reason? God is actually more threatening than \u2018them\u2019. He can do more damage. He, \u201cIs able to destroy both soul and body in hell.\u201d<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t fear the house cat, fear the lion. Don\u2019t fear the bb gun, fear the assault rifle. Don\u2019t fear the common cold, fear cancer. If you\u2019re going to fear, fear intelligently.<\/p>\n
The problem is, this hardly puts God in a flattering light. One might think God is encouraging us to view him with some kind of mindless terror, simply because He is all-powerful. But remember that this fear serves the valid purpose of arresting our attention. And remember that, \u201cThe fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,\u201d Proverbs 9:10.<\/p>\n
Once God has our attention, He can speak to us. He can pour in new information. He can tell us things like: \u2018I laid aside my divine power so I could suffer alongside you as a human. I lived a life of self-sacrifice and compassion and touched people from all walks of life. I submitted myself to hate and persecution, and ultimately carried your sins to a rough, lonely cross where they crushed Me. My eyes grew wide with terror as I felt God\u2019s wrath. My nostrils flared with the fear of separation from Him. My mouth froze into a woeful circle, never to smile again in this life. I finally yielded up My spirit and lay in a grave where I kept Adonai\u2019s Sabbath. When the sun rose I burst forth, carrying with me a new, glorified humanity, sealing you to everlasting life. I am love. Far from wanting to destroy you, I was willing to be destroyed in order to save.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear,\u201d 1 John 4:18. Fear intelligently and God will put your fears to rest in the warm embrace of His everlasting love. He\u2019ll turn your fears to tears of repentance for ever doubting His goodness. Go to Him now, submit to His Word, surrender yourself, \u201cAnd you will find rest to your souls,\u201d Matthew 11:29.<\/p>\n