This season has unearthed some fear and anxiety in our lives. We wanted to take some intentional time to talk through those concerns and offer not only tools but perspective for all of us.
This season of COVID-19 is new and unprecedented. It’s an unsettling and exposing season for all of us on some level. For many it has brought unfamiliar feelings of fear and anxiety yet for others it has only escalated an everyday battle with these two intruders in their Christian walk. “Do not fear” is a common phrase repeated time and time again in the Bible. For some this brings comfort. For others it feels like a coach’s hype speech to get after it. But for others, it can feel like shame – “If I’m a Christian, why do I fear so much?”
Matt Kenney and I invited two counselors from our area – Aaron Goodrich and LeAnne Jansen – along with our very own Lauren Pinner who has been on a personal journey with anxiety to discuss this delicate subject. We tackle both the spiritual and the practical. How do you constructively battle anxiety – the tools, habits, and practices? What is really happening in my body when I feel anxious? And how does my fear and anxiety interact with faith?
We would invite you to listen to the audio recording and use the discussion questions below to process with another person or your small group:
- How have fear and anxiety woven into your story and relationships?
- What are some of the tools, habits, or practices that have helped you in the past?
- From the podcast, what resonated with you?
- What word pictures, analogies, and scriptural truth have been helpful in your life?
- In this season, what opportunities may be available for growth or change?
Additional resources:
- Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk
- Boundaries for Your Soul: How to Turn Your Overwhelming Thoughts and Feelings into Your Greatest Allies by Alison Cook and Kimberly Miller
- Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us out of Anxiety, Stress, and Survival Mode-and into a Life of Connection and Joy by Aundi Kolber
- Get Your Life Back by John Eldredge
- The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World by John Mark Comer
- Ransomed Heart Podcast: https://www.ransomedheart.com/podcast
- Adam Young Podcast: https://adamyoungcounseling.com/podcast/
Listen to more episodes of the Gospel Centered Living Podcast on iTunes.