I Think Therefore I...Freak Out? Faith & the Mind

 ³⁴"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. ³⁵For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."

                                                                          Luke 21: 34-36

About 40 million people in the US are affected by anxiety disorders - that's about a third of the population. Such disorders are linked to things like substance abuse, depression or other illnesses or behavioural dysfunction. 

When Jesus spoke these words he almost sounds like a qualified psychotherapist, counsellor or doctor. Certainly the National Institute of Mental Health seems to concur with his recommendation to stay away from negative thoughts and habits (like substance abuse). His warning, 'that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap' sounds so much like Generalized Anxiety Disorder or panic attacks. I think Jesus was well aware of how we function as spiritual, emotional and psychological beings.

People with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) go through the day filled with exaggerated worry and tension, even though there is little or nothing to provoke it. They anticipate disaster and are overly concerned about health issues, money, family problems, or difficulties at work. Sometimes just the thought of getting through the day produces anxiety.

It has long been my belief that Jesus teachings are holistic and in no way arbitrary. They are not random rites taught just for ceremony and tradition. Rather, Jesus came to heal the whole man, from the inside out in a very practical, real world way. Matthew's record of the 'do not worry' lesson elaborates on the danger of anxiety, and the cure thereof.

Paul also offers a practical approach to our mental health in Philippians 4 :

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

This 'peace of God' is no accident and neither is Jesus' claim that his 'yoke is easy and his burden is light'. After all some of our heaviest burdens are not the ones we carry on our backs, but the ones we carry on our hearts.