** Unlocked은 Keys for kids Ministries에서 지원받은 프로그램입니다. 원본으로 듣고 싶으신 분들은 홈페이지 Unlocked.org로 들어가시면 <August 2, 2021>에서 다시 들으실 수 있습니다.**
Anxiety and Help
• READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 12:20-27; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-4
Anxiety is not always cured just by taking a deep breath or going on a nature walk. While these things—along with getting enough sleep at night, eating well, and praying—can help, sometimes they’re not enough. If you are still feeling anxious, know that you’re not alone.
There is no reason to be embarrassed about your anxiety. We live in a broken world where things are difficult and confusing. God made our minds and our bodies good, but since the first humans sinned, all kinds of death and sickness entered the world, including mental illness. Whether it’s having unending thoughts about “what-if” scenarios, feeling like we’re in danger even when we’re not, or some other form of anxiety, God has compassion on us and offers us help. One way God helps us is through other people.
If you have anxious thoughts all the time, or if you cannot find the calm and peace you seek, it’s ok to ask for help. God has given us each other to comfort, encourage, and help one another. Some people can also give advice on how to deal with anxiety in healthy ways, such as counselors and pastors. God provides people you can talk to about what you’re experiencing.
Also know that God is not unaware of your anxiety. In fact, God knows about anxiety because He lived through it. Jesus experienced anxiety while on earth, especially as He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, knowing He would soon face death (Luke 22:39-44). Psalm 22 even offers us a glimpse into what it was like for Jesus as He experienced a high level of anxiety on the cross as He bore the sin of the world. Jesus cares about what you’re going through. He’s been there. He knows. He sees you and everything that is going on in your life.
When we seek God, He helps us. Sometimes He helps through other people. Sometimes He gives a moment of peace or reveals a truth in His Word that offers hope. We can talk to God when we feel anxious, being honest about what we’re experiencing and asking for help. Sometimes, thanking God for His blessings can help us remember that He is loving, powerful, and trustworthy. When life feels overwhelming, we can also take a break and spend time with friends, and we can reach out for help when we need it.
Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, we can know God’s love for us is stronger than anything, including anxiety. When Jesus returns, He will heal all mental illness for good! In the meantime, we don’t have to be afraid to admit when we’re feeling anxious. Many people feel the same way, and with help from God and each other, we can move toward a life of peace. • Bethany Acker
• If you’d like to talk to someone about anxiety but you aren’t sure who to talk to, you can set up an appointment for a one-time complimentary phone consultation with a Christian counselor through the Focus on the Family Counseling Service. In the United States, call 1-855-771-HELP (4357) weekdays 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Mountain Time) to set up an appointment. In Canada, book your appointment by calling 1-800-661-9800 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (Pacific Time) and ask to speak with the care associate.
• God lives in perfect community as the Trinity (three Persons in One), and we are made in His image. Because of this, we are designed to live in community. And, if we know Jesus, the same Holy Spirit lives in each of us, uniting us around the gospel. It’s because of this unity that we can be open and honest with each other about our struggles, including struggles with anxiety. Who is a trusted Christian you can talk to about your questions? How can you listen with compassion when other people tell you about their struggles?
• Even if you don’t struggle with clinical anxiety, we all feel anxious from time to time because we live in a broken world. What things are you worried about right now? If you’re ready, you can take some time to bring these worries to God in prayer.
When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. Psalm 94:19 (NIV)
** Unlocked은 Keys for kids Ministries에서 지원받은 프로그램입니다. 원본으로 듣고 싶으신 분들은 홈페이지 Unlocked.org로 들어가시면 <August 4, 2021>에서 다시 들으실 수 있습니다.**
What to Do When You Don't Know What to Do
• READ: PSALM 32:8-11; PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7; 1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18; JAMES 1:2-8
For as long as I could remember, I wanted to be a police officer. During my senior year, I was accepted into one of the best law enforcement programs in the country, but I was experiencing something I had never experienced about my future plans: doubt.
I had just finished my first summer working at a camp, and I saw God do some incredible things. Prior to camp, I barely believed that there was a God, let alone tried to live for Him, but after camp everything changed. Jesus had drastically changed my heart in those eight short weeks. I even felt like He was leading me to pursue ministry after high school! But that forced me to ask a difficult question: “What about my dreams of being a police officer?”
I was torn. "Do I do what I’ve always wanted to do, or do I pursue something I know nothing about?," I thought. What do you do when you don’t know what to do? For starters, I called my youth pastor and asked for his help. He advised, “Pray for wide-open doors or doors to be slammed in your face. If you think a door is open, walk through it. If you feel peace about it, keep walking.”
When we don’t know what to do, we can ask God for wisdom, guidance, and opportunities: open doors and closed doors (if you’re stubborn like me, you may also need doors to slam in your face). Most importantly, we can listen for answers. When I began to ask God for direction in this situation, I immediately realized that I was seeking MY plan for my career, not HIS plan. When I asked what His plan was, everything started to become clear.
In life, we are faced with challenging circumstances and difficult decisions all the time. In his letter to the early church, James confirms this almost immediately and tells us how to respond: with joy! James tells us that God uses these trials to strengthen our faith, and if we lack wisdom, we can ask God and He will give it to us generously! If we’ve put our trust in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, His Holy Spirit is in us, providing a never-ending source of wisdom. God is waiting for us to ask for His guidance and direction. When I started to pray for HIS plan rather than MY plan, doors started opening and peace was flowing! • Hunter Taylor
• While God calls some of us into ministry careers, He also calls many of us to follow Him in different ways. How might the gospel shape the way we view the future and make decisions (Matthew 6:33)?
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him. James 1:5 (CSB)
