When I ask the question, “How you feeling?” You might say “A little stressed,” but research would say that many of us feel a lot stressed.
We feel overwhelmed. Our anxiety levels are higher than anywhere else in the world, and we are more anxious than any other time in history.
According the New York Times magazine over the last decade, anxiety has overtaken depression as the most common reason college students seek counseling services. In its’ annual survey of students, the American College Health Association reported that 62 percent of undergraduates reported “overwhelming anxiety.” Between 75 – 90% of hospital visits are stress related. We spend around 1 trillion dollars on treating stress and anxiety…that’s more money than the cost of cancer, smoking, diabetes, and heart disease combined…
Anxiety may feel a bit like an epidemic in our day, but it’s nothing new. As we have been studying through Psalms we often hear David, a man after God’s own heart, express his anxious feelings. He’s often feeling a little stressed. But as we have seen, the real question is not “How am I feeling?” But “What am I doing with those feelings?” and “What direction is this feeling taking me?” ….
We have said that every emotion is like a vehicle that is taking us somewhere. We have talked about the “minivan of shame” that wants to take us towards isolation, secrecy, and silence – but shame CAN take us to Jesus – where we find grace, forgiveness and freedom.
