Life is a nuanced topic. It is made of spiritual, psychological, and physiological components that overlap. Because these components are so closely intertwined and often work together, it can be difficult to decipher which region of life houses the problem when something goes wrong. The area of life that I see most frequently misdiagnosed is chronic anxiety. Chronic anxiety has many potential causes and sometimes more than one. To make matters even more complicated, the “causes” may actually be a symptom of a deeper underlying problem. Causes and symptoms include but are not limited to blood sugar imbalances, trauma, imbalance of gut bacteria, unhelpful ways of thinking, excess cortisol and other chemical imbalances, food sensitivities, birth control and other pharmaceuticals, hormonal imbalances, etc.
Christians too often fail to recognize the symptoms and causes of chronic anxiety. Normal anxiety is short-lived and doesn’t interfere with daily life, whereas chronic anxiety impairs a person’s life. People with chronic anxiety experience anxious thoughts and emotions that are common to the average person, but they also experience ones that are uncommon in terms of frequency, duration of distress, severity, and impact on daily life. It is important to distinguish between passing and chronic anxiety, especially for Christians, because of the common misapplication of biblical verses. Commonly abused bible verses include. . .
Psalm 55:22 - “Cast your cares unto the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken” (NIV).
Matthew 6:25-34 - “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. . . . If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry . . . . Each day has enough trouble of its own” (NIV).
It is important to recognize that when Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount He was speaking to a large crowd of people. His message was general enough so that it applied to them all and was not tailored to any subgroup. It was meant to address average concerns, but it will not cure chronic symptoms.
If someone has a hormone imbalance a bible study isn’t going to make their blood tests fall within normal range. If someone has food sensitivities which aggravate the neurons in their intestinal lining, thereby impacting their production of serotonin, then reading them a bible verse alongside a serving of whatever food triggers them is not going to rid them of the anxiety.
Many Christians with chronic anxiety “go to the Lord” with their anxiety and wonder why it isn’t going away. They begin to doubt whether they are good enough Christians and have enough faith. Well, does a diabetic just “go to the Lord” with their diabetes and wonder why it hasn’t gone away when they fall into a diabetic coma? Any Christian diagnosed with cancer will go see an oncologist, yet Christians with anxiety disorders shy away from seeing a therapist or doctor?
The misapplication of bible verses has led countless Christians to suffer needlessly. And too many are convinced that their suffering is a sign that they’re bad Christians with not enough faith. You are not a bad Christian. You do not lack faith. You have a medical condition.
It’s time Christians stopped misapplying bible verses. Please, research your medical condition and seek professional help.