A great question that came to my desk this week was, "should a Christian take anxiety medication or is this the world's way of dealing with fear/anxiety?" What a great question.
First of all, please know that I don't believe modern medical care is somehow evil or un-christianly. Certainly, one can abuse or misuse modern medicine, but I believe (generally specially) advances in medical care and science are acts of God's grace and gifts from him to use for his glory. So taking medicine or taking advantage of medical practices in and of themselves is not evil.
As we discussed in the first sermon on fear (1-18-09), our body automatically reacts to perceived threats; this is God's built-in defense mechanism. But, we're broken. This world is broken in every single way. Sin is a part of our existence and is has marred this world. As a result, these natural, physiological reactions can misfire and malfunction; instead of being helpful like God intended, they are actually unhelpful and hinder normal human functioning. These misfirings are not necessarily tied to any specific act of unbelief or sin; they just seem to be part of a broken world.
A person ought not to neglect some of the natural approaches to health. We are whole people; things like healthy eating and regular exercise do make a difference in every other aspect of our health; some studies show chiropractic care helping anxiety, too. With that said, there may be times when medication is needed to control the physical symptoms of anxiety. This isn't a sign of lack of faith; it may be a necessary step to control physical symptoms while attempts at addressing the core issues are explored. Of course, consult your physician before deciding on any course of action.
It's critical to remember, though, that medication simply addresses symptoms; its doesn't address the problem. Hope placed in anxiety medication is sorely misplaced; in fact, hope placed anywhere but Christ is sin. Christ is always our only hope. We always look to him for victory. If anxiety medication is needed for a time, then we will praise God that medication is out there and helpful as we take it in faith. But while we are doing that, we are to keep our eyes fixed squarely on the only savior of worry and anxiety, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Tell me what you think? If you've needed help with anxiety, share with us your experiences.
3 comments:
Some major "food for thought" has been brought up in this sermon series so far. I am forced to look at what I hold most dear in my life and what or who should be focusing my attention on.
Our group has been having such enlightening discussions as we deal with the subject of fear and anxiety. What causes it, should we validate it, and how can we solve it, or can we truly solve it? are just a few of the questions that have arisen. I am learning so much about my own fears and have been able to admit how trivial some of those fears are and how much they are a result of my NEED for control. Learning to give up control over ones life is difficult but necessary to not allow our fears to control us and to cause us to let them take over our lives.
Anxiety medication has it's place, but I agree with you that giving up our control to the Lord and leaning on his promises will heal the problem instead of just treating the symptoms. Christ truly is our one and only hope!
We also discussed how respect and fear can be synonomous. Or how we sometimes mistake "healthy respect" for fear. Do you think that there is something to that thought? We talked about some very trivial fears such as heights or the dark and surmised that it's not really the "thing" that we are afraid of, but the consequences or results of the "things." Such as not really being afraid of heights, but afraid of falling the subsequent landing which could lead to injury or death. Or the dark...not really being afraid of the dark but the unknown things that may be lurking in the dark. Any thoughts on the comparison of fear and respect and where the problem truly begins?
Thanks for bringing this subject to the pulpit! Sometimes people don't want to hear our failings, but I for one and thankful for my failings because it draws me closer to the Lord.
Which brings me to the next topic...Prayer as a crutch! How true it is that sometimes when I am faced with a situation that I am unsure of the outcome of that I "throw" a prayer heavenward in hopes that MY will in the situation will pan out when I know that it's God's will that truly matters.
I look forward to the next sermon. AND our next small group discussion!
Great feedback. I'm glad you've been encouraged during this topic and through the discussion with your group.
The short answer to your question is "yes," broadly defined, fear isn't always bad. As we've been mentioning, those natural human reactions to the things that threaten our values are God-given and good for us. They rightly warn us of trouble and encourage appropriate caution. Having a health "fear" of the power of nature, for example, is very appropriate; don't run into a tornado thinking you're all that. And ultimately, of course, our fear of God should orient our entire life; it's called the beginning of wisdom.
What we want to avoid are these irrational responses to fear that are attempts to reassert some sort of self-authority.
As for prayer, rightly understood, its not really a crutch. Rightly praying is our means of acting in the midst of fear. I know that our culture (and sinful tendencies) don't like the message that we NEED help; that we don't have what it takes ourselves and God alone is our source of strength through Jesus Christ. But that's simply the gospel, which we will unashamedly embrace and rejoice in; its the power of God unto salvation for all those who believe.
thanks for the feedback.
Pastor Brian
I think that it is sometime too easy to look for a simple fix instead of looking for real answers to the problems that you are having.
My life was saved my anti-anxiety medication, but I hated every time I had to use it. It is along story, but I felt that there was something wrong with me, indeed there was, but the medication made it real. My parents took me to a pastor instead of the HOSPITAL. I was had stoped eating a sleeping for months my senior year as a healthy male of 6'2" and only weighing 130 lbs. There were so many things that led up to my major depression and anxiet attacks. I felt as if the DEVIL was just telling me to kill myself. By the time my parents got me to a DR. after 3 months of not sleeping and eating and self loathing my brain and body were shutting down.
To make a long story short. All things happened for a reason and I had to go through all of that to be where I am today. I have found that I can relate to many people and the troubles that they may have.
To conclude: I think more people are on these pills than need to be and they are over prescribed. I would hope that Christians don't need pills to make themselves happy because I will never go back to where I was, but I understand people who are.
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