Do NOT Be Afraid

Speaking Out About Our Weaknesses

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."  (1Corinthians 1:3&4)

Have you ever thought...

"if I just knew I wasn't alone, I would be more apt to talk about my pain." 

Or...

"I'm afraid others will look at me and say that I don't have enough faith or that I must be sinning to be struggling in the way that I am." 

The truth of the matter is, all of us have struggled with feelings of anxiety, worry, and depression.  Most of us at one point or another have thought..."I must be going crazy!"  It is all way more common than we would like to admit, and although I believe that some of us are more apt to it than others, we are all struggling with our mental health, in one way or another; at one point or another, over our lifetime.

Whether it is situational through the death of a loved one or the loss of a home or job, or it more general...we all experience moments in our lives where we feel like we can't control our minds reaction to life.

Now don't get me wrong, I am only talking about anxiety and depression here.  I firmly believe that anxiety and depression can be caused by things in your life, BUT can also be caused by an imbalance in the brain.

This is a tough subject to talk about and while I have done much study on both topics and have been diagnosed with both depression and general anxiety disorder in my life, I do not claim to be an expert on the subject.  I can only speak from my own experience and knowledge.

So here is what I know...

• Anxiety and depression are more common than we think.
• We don't talk about it enough, because we are afraid of labels.
• We have been conditioned through society to be ashamed of "weak feelings"

But here are some statistics according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America...

• 17% of all Americans suffer from depression during their life time.
• 25.8% of all American suffer from a variety of forms of Anxiety Disorders.
• If you put in all together that means that some where around 42.8% of all American's suffer from some form of Depression or Anxiety Disorder in their lifetime. That's almost HALF!

All of this to simply state the fact that...YOU ARE NOT ALONE!


If you have read through the Psalms...you know that depression and anxiety were alive and real even in the minds of most of God's chosen decendents.  David was "God's called King" in the old testament and yet it appears that he struggled with mental illness frequently through about his reign.

"My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught at the voice of the enemy, at the stares of the wicked; for they bring down suffering upon me and revile me in their anger.  My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail me.  Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me." (Psalm 55: 2-5)

Now if that isn't the mind of a man struggling with anxiety and depression I don't know what is.

Honestly, a lot of the stigma that we have towards mental illness could be healed if we would just be willing to speak out about our common weakness and pain.

But we are afraid of it because we don't talk about it...or we brush it off as "sin".

Whatever is kept in the dark Satan will spread in the dark...but whatever is brought into the light...God will USE in the light!

God asks us to comfort others in their affliction as He has comforted us...and part of that comfort is sharing our own struggle.

Do NOT be afraid...speak truthfully and openly about your weakness and watch as God's power and Glory is revealed through it!

I truly believe that when done in a safe and open environment...

You WILL find love and acceptance.
You WILL find grace and mercy.
You WILL find healing.
You WILL find peace.
You WILL find you are NOT alone.