The Atlanta Journal – Constitution

“I never knew what you were going through,” Mom said, her eyes filled with compassion.

I wasn’t surprised. One of the most challenging periods I’ve ever endured was in my early 20s. My mother, unfortunately, resided at a considerable distance. Also, she had recently embarked on a new chapter of her life — remarriage.

At first, I thought she had not noticed my paralyzing anxiety because of her newfound happiness. But after talking to my dad about it, I realized that he also did not know the depth of the valley I crossed.

Mental Health Disorders

I’m not alone. Even though mental health disorders are widely discussed nowadays, I felt trapped, ashamed, and alone when I suffered from debilitating anxiety in the early 90s.

Even doctors were not sure what to do with me. They turned me inside out, examining my brain and heart for months, which only intensified the issue.

Was it a brain tumor? A heart condition? Or was I just going crazy? There had to be a logical reason for the sudden unmanageable shaking, numbness in my extremities, sleepless nights, and sharp chest pain.

Panic attacks. Sudden Death Syndrome. Phobias. They come in different packages, manifesting in various ways, but anxiety disorders are increasingly common today.

According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), over 40 million adults (19.1%) have an anxiety disorder. Because I believe many feel ashamed (as I did) to seek help, I am afraid the number is actually greater.

Books on Anxiety

Numerous books, both in the secular and religious sects, address the subject. Many of these publications focus on offering perspective and practical guidance on how to understand and treat anxiety.

But a new book by theologian Curtis Chang offers a new angle on the issue: “The Anxiety Opportunity – How Worry is the Doorway to Your Best Self.”

Chang provides a candid account of his lifelong battle with severe anxiety in his book. His story exposes this condition’s detrimental effects on his personal life and professional journey.

Previously a senior pastor at a large church, Chang lost his job due to crippling anxiety. Consequently, he embarked on a transformative journey. He viewed his struggle as an opportunity for growth and a means to seek God for genuine healing and strength.

But Chang says that attempting to remove anxiousness with faith or willpower alone only leads to added feelings of shame and defeat. Instead, he tackles the true root of our worries: our innate desire for control. This is closely linked to our instinctive tendency to avoid loss.

A Gateway To Seek Jesus

Chang extends an invitation to believers stuck in a never-ending war with anxious thoughts and fears. He proposes viewing our insecurities as a gateway to seek Jesus. After all, even Jesus experienced anxiety during his most challenging times.

We see it at Gethsemane, where he pleaded for his disciples to remain with him, so great was his anguish. We read about it in the gospel of Luke, where the messiah’s agony was so deep that “his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.”

The Birds of the Air

This humanity of Jesus is the perfect invitation to bring our cares to him. He understands our sorrows, yet his teaching offers the cure for all anxiety throughout the gospels.

As in these words in the Sermon of the Mount, when Jesus challenged us to fix our eyes, not on our circumstances, our lack of control, and our blindness concerning what tomorrow holds. Instead, he invites us to anchor our souls on God’s love for us, our identity as his children, and his faithfulness:

“(…) Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”

My story unfolds on a positive note. Doctors, in due course, played an instrumental role in stabilizing my brain, as a chemical imbalance undeniably exacerbated my intense anxiety during my early adulthood. But the actual healing, lasting peace, and enduring faith — even though cancer, death, and great financial loss — did not come from a pill. They came when I perceived my weaknesses as opportunities to seek comfort, guidance, wisdom, and peace in almighty God.

_{This article was originally published in Patricia’s column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday, July 29^th, 2023. Click HERE to find it on the AJC’s website.}

_{Purchase Chang’s book here: The Anxiety Opportunity}

_{To Listen to the Interview in your preferred podcast Platform: God-sized Stories – Curtis Chang}

To Watch the Interview on YouTube: God-sized Stories – Curstis Chang

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission should you choose to sign up for a program or make a purchase using my link. It’s okay – I love all of these books anyways, and you will too!