Anxiety is an ever-present issue in our modern culture. The National Institute of Mental Health quotes a recent study showing that 19% of American adults suffered from an anxiety disorder in the last year. The same institute estimates that 31% of people will experience an anxiety disorder in their teen years. That’s nearly one in three teenagers.
This anxiety can manifest itself in different ways. Obsessive compulsive behavior. Fear of being in group settings. Anorexia. Self harm.
In the eighteen years since I have been a teacher, I have seen a major upswing in students dealing with anxiety-related issues. Some of them have sought help through doctor’s offices, therapists, psychologists. Some have received counseling through their church. Some flounder on their own without support.
As I talk to kids dealing with anxiety, one thing I have noticed is that secular therapists provide all sorts of coping mechanisms. Medication. Breathing techniques. Positive thoughts.
This is not enough. “My therapist says to think positive and that everything will turn out all right in the end. But how do I know everything will turn out all right? I can’t know that!”
It’s true. Apart from an abiding faith in the goodness and the omnipotence of God, you can’t know that all things will work together for your ultimate good, even the hard things. “Think positive!” is cold comfort when comfort is sorely needed.
Each year at Paideia we pick a theme verse to help us focus our attention on one facet of our role as teachers and disciples. This year, the theme verse is Psalm 34:8.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
The purpose of our teaching at Paideia is to fill students with the knowledge that God is good. That to experience Him is a delight. That to trust in Him is to be blessed.
It’s not a trite truth that simply looks spiffy on a Hobby Lobby plaque. In times of anxiety, it’s a lifeline to cling to. “The LORD is good. The Lord is GOOD! And what is more, He is intimately concerned with your prayers, with your fears, with your troubles, with your anxieties.”
Yes, we need to teach our children how to breathe their way through a panic attack. But how much more do we need to get these verses into their bones?
I sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.
This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
The best way to equip our children for the pressures that anxiety brings is to give them an unshakeable belief in the power and presence of God. Singing praise, offering prayer, testifying to His amazing grace in our own lives—these are the foundational tools that we need to combat the anxiety epidemic in America.
I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
