Am I Alone?
“The loudest voice is rarely the loving voice. The repeating voice is not always the right voice.”
- Mike Foster
Worrying is one of our society’s biggest idols. Anxious thoughts take up more space than they should. The enemy uses fear to distract, deter, and derail us. It’s a constant fight to choose to listen to the Holy Spirit instead of the repetitive fears that our brains like to turn up to maximum volume.
I remember in college sitting with a friend and opening up about my anxiety and fear. He shared with me a song called “Honest,” sung by the incredible band JOSEPH. Written about struggles with anxiety, the song repeats these stanzas over and over again:
There're always two thoughts
One after the other
I'm alone
No, you're not
I'm alone, no, you're not
This song describes the internal battle between lies and truth. The fight one must take on to address the words of the enemy with the truth of the gospel. Because isn’t that the root of so much of our fear? “I’m alone,” our minds scream as we worry about finances, relationships, kids. We fear we’re alone; that God won’t really be there to pick up the pieces.
And then, right after the other, we must remind ourselves of what is true: “No, you’re not.” Despite what the fear whispers, despite what our racing hearts tell us, despite the nagging worry that we aren’t really good enough. We must preach the gospel to ourselves every day.
You are not alone. Christ died for you. He has chosen you. He will bring you through this. He will show up. He’s always going to show up.
We must proclaim it to the fear. We must yell back at the worry. We must remind our wandering hearts: “He’s here. You’re not alone. Keep moving forward.”
Romans 8:39 reminds us of the truth found in those song lyrics:
No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Nothing will separate you from the love of Christ. When the fear creeps in you must remind yourself of what is true.
Let’s do the hard work. Let’s take our thoughts captive. Let’s train our hearts to choose truth over fear. Because our thoughts influence our behavior, and our behavior creates our future. And I want a future that operates from a place of love, rather than one of fear.
Take a deep breath. Quiet the racing thoughts. And remember: You’re not alone.
Cristina Schmitter