First, if you want to hear an amazing message about worry, click HERE!<\/a> It will change your life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are\ntwo different sides to this conversation telling two very different stories.\nOne says, \u201cIt\u2019s all in your head. You\u2019re making this stuff up. Get up, get over\nit and move on!\u201d The other side says, \u201cIt\u2019s who I am! Nothing can change me. I\njust need to learn to deal with the new me.\u201d I\u2019m here to tell you that neither\nis true. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not all\nin their heads. They didn\u2019t consciously choose this. And in most cases, they\ndon\u2019t want this. They can\u2019t just get over it and move on. It\u2019s not that simple.\nFor the time being, it owns them. But\nthere\u2019s hope in the tunnel.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n The problem\nhere though, is that some don\u2019t seem to want out of the tunnel bad enough to\nmake hard short-term decisions that have long term affects. In many cases, to\nremove the propensity for anxiety, you must remove that which is leading you\nthere. And often times the very thing that is causing you anxiety is the thing\nor person that you love the most. That\u2019s where this whole thing gets very\ntough. For some, it may take making the toughest decision of your life NOW in\norder to live a peaceful life LATER. Fear not, someone will be there to hold\nyour hand all the way out of the tunnel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For some, it has become a new identity. They see how people come to their rescue and defense. So this \u201ccan\u2019t be a bad thing.\u201d This comes from either 1- not enough attention growing up or 2- having your parents\u2019 life revolve around you, then getting out in to the real world and realizing it\u2019s nothing like that at all. No one cares as much as they did\u2026 until you had anxiety. Now they care! The glamorization of this is sickening. There’s nothing glamorous about it. Stop wearing it like a badge. Don’t be ashamed of it, but don’t be proud of it either. I\u2019m telling you that you DON\u2019T HAVE TO STAY IN THE TUNNEL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The anxiety itself, is a symptom. Never the problem. Address the problem and the symptom is cured. I know it\u2019s not that easy, but it<\/strong> is possible!<\/strong> If it\u2019s not possible, then we don\u2019t serve a very mighty God. If it\u2019s not possible, then why did Paul say in 2<\/a>nd<\/a><\/sup> Timothy 1:7<\/a>, \u201cFor God has not<\/strong><\/em> given us a spirit of fear<\/strong>, but of power and love and a sound mind\u201d\u2026? Which one sounds like anxiety\u2026 power, love, sound mind\u2026 or fear? And if God doesn\u2019t give it, then who does? The enemy. SO IT. MUST. GO. Remember, fear and worry are at the core of anxiety. So if God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear, then He hasn’t given us anxiety either… He want’s you to be free of it! Maybe not right this second, but eventually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I firmly\nbelieve that NO ONE is called to have anxiety. That you\u2019re just stuck with it.\nThat you\u2019ll have it forever. I firmly believe that it\u2019s not \u201cwho you are\u201d. It\nmay be where you are\u2026 but THERE IS HOPE IN THE TUNNEL. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Depression- \u201cA mental\nhealth disorder characterized by persistently depressed mood or loss of\ninterest in activities, causing significant impairment in daily life.\u201d That is\nthe definition given by the Mayo Clinic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Something that I firmly believe is that depression is more rampant today than maybe in any society in the history of our nation. There was a study done among high school students listing the top ten things students struggled with during high school. During the 1990\u2019s, the #1 thing listed was drugs and alcohol. In today\u2019s schools, drugs and alcohol are #10. The number one thing they struggle with today is anxiety and depression. That\u2019s #1! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many people in general, and especially students, have lost their sense of hope and belonging. They have lost, or never known, their place on earth. Identity is huge. My dad once dealt with this first hand as he was concluding one era of his ministry. He felt lost if he wasn\u2019t pastoring. God spoke to him very clearly and said, \u201cWho you are is a child of God. You are my son. Pastoring is what you DO.\u201d This perspective has to permeate in your heart and mind. The quicker someone understands that who they are is completely wrapped up in who God is, the quicker they find their place, purpose, and calling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve been drafting this over the course of a week and in the middle of it, after I had written 75% of it, a young lady, a 14 year old freshman at my daughter\u2019s school, decided to take her life. Her particular situation was bullying. But loss of hope was the key. The bullies took that hope. This thing is real. I\u2019m a girl-dad so this crushes me. In the midst of this, I have been proud of both of my daughters in that school system. They told me they have been actively pursuing kids who are eating by themselves in order to help them feel included and combat depression. They hadn\u2019t seen this particular girl and stated that had she been alone in any setting where they were, they would\u2019ve pursued her. I love their hearts. I also feel terrible for this girl that she felt this was the only way out of her tunnel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Community and\nservice. That is how we get out of the tunnel. These truths are really the only\nthing that allowed me to get out of the tunnel as fast as I did. It isn\u2019t\nalways that fast. But knowing that if I am still breathing\u2026 God\u2019s not done\u2026\nthis kept me going. That and my daughters. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Getting out of that tunnel took real people, with real problems of their own reaching out to me and not letting me go backwards in the tunnel. It took community. I read about an experiment where they put a rat in a cage and gave it two options of water. One was regular water and the other was drug laced water. Each rat they experimented on, without exception, always chose the drug laced water and almost always overdosed quickly and died. Then they noticed something. They were putting the rat in there alone. What if they create a rat heaven community? Would they still want the drug water? So they put multiple rats in there of both genders, loads of cheese and tunnels. Then comes the amazing part, they all\u2026100% of them chose the normal water and NONE chose the drug water. The solution was community. Whether we like it or not, we were called to be co-dependent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Again, I\u2019ll say, Community and service are clearly the keys out of the tunnel. Serve someone. Do something for someone else. You will quickly find yourself noticing a light at the end of that tunnel. And the more you are in your community and serving others, the brighter that light gets. Next thing you know, you\u2019re out of the tunnel and you\u2019re helping someone else out of their tunnel. You simply can NOT let yourself, or someone else, be isolated! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Isolation is the #1 tool of the enemy. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n So please, keep your eyes and ears open. When you see someone in a tunnel, be the voice that guides them out. If you\u2019re reading this and you\u2019re the one in the tunnel, hold on, there\u2019s HOPE IN THE TUNNEL!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stay Classy GP! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Grainger <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the first part, I told you my story. It\u2019s an ugly story. But It\u2019s a victorious and hopeful story too. Now let\u2019s talk about your story\u2026 or someone you know. Anxiety- \u201cIntense, excessive, and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations.\u201d That\u2019s the definition from the Mayo clinic. First, if you want to hear … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/spirit-of-fear.jpg\")
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