Can a Christian Have Anxiety? What Paul Admitted About Fear

There's a bad phrase still going around, and I'm sure some of you have heard it, or something like it: If someone were a "real Christian," they wouldn't feel anxiety or nervousness when talking to others about God. That is a sure-fire way to crush someone's faith, fast. I'm still shocked when I hear it come out of Christians' mouths.

It’s Become a Weapon

I have watched this happen, and I have been on the receiving end of it. It was always weaponized. Not once was it meant as Godly encouragement, and it never will be.

So the next time you hear this, or see it happen to someone else, I want you to have something to hold onto. Paul shared something in 1 Corinthians I think you are going to find both interesting and comforting.

We all know who Paul is, hands down one of the greatest missionaries in the Bible. He spread the Gospel like gasoline poured on a bonfire. And here is what he said about himself:

"I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. My speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,” 1 Corinthians 2:3–4

There it is, in black and white. Paul struggled. If he had only used the words "weakness" and "trembling," we might chalk it up to an illness or an injury. But he did not. He also used the word "fear."

Something caused Paul anxiety during that time. As a person who lives with anxiety, I felt those words when I read them. It was a genuine weight off my shoulders to learn that even Paul had these moments.

This Is Significant

It is significant that Paul admitted this at all, because he was a male leader in the early church. The people who spout that "real Christian" line do not want you to know this about him. They would rather use their personal opinions about what they think is "best for you" to shame you into silence. No self-respecting Christian should be saying this to you or to anyone else.

And here's the thing that undoes their whole argument: by their own standard, Paul would not count as a "real Christian" either.

According to their mindset, one of the greatest missionaries who ever lived fails their own test. They will argue with you about it, but it falls apart when you think it through. You cannot hold one person up as a hero while ignoring part of what he said, then turn around and condemn someone else for that very same thing. That goes past cherry-picking straight into cherry-pureeing.

Your Journey Is Yours

Accepting Jesus does not instantly turn you into the perfect evangelist, and it does not erase nerves or fear. We all have unique personalities and quirks. Every one of us will wrestle with fear and anxiety, some more than others. That does not make you any less of a "real Christian." Anyone who tells you otherwise, walk away.

Paul shared this experience for a reason. He knew that some of us, reading his words all these centuries later, would also feel weakness, fear, and trembling. It does not make you any less of a Christian than he was. It makes you human.

So do what Paul did: trust God. Your journey and your calling are between you and Him, not you, and some other person, and their timing. He is the only one who should be guiding your steps.

© Jane Isley

Adapted from a piece I originally wrote for Never Stop Writing