To the Christians Who Say ‘Worrying Is a Sin’

“Worrying is a sin.”

Yes, I would agree to an extent. As a Christian, I also believe it is important to trust in God rather than spend your time worrying. The majority of Christians would say worrying is simply not trusting in God, which is sinning. We always need to trust God, even when it’s hard. Yet, talking about worry this way can actually be devastating to others.

As I said earlier, I, too, am a Christian, and I think it is important to trust in God. When I am anxious and tell my Christian friends about my anxieties, they tell me I just need to trust God. They tell me that this will solve my problems.

Here’s the thing you might not realize: My brain does not work the same way as yours. I have anxiety. My brain likes to tell me there’s always something to be afraid of. My brain tells me I am always in danger. My brain constantly tells me I am not important.

When I am told worrying is a sin, I feel like a bad Christian. This only worsens my anxiety. When I am going through the worst of storms, when depression causes me to feel hollow inside and anxiety makes me feel like I’m being burned alive, I don’t get told how much Christ loves me. I am told to “just stop,” and “Depend on God and it will get better.”

Yes, God heals. Yes, God redeems. Yes, God restores. Yes, it is not good to worry about the trivial things. Yes, it is good to depend on God. However, do not assume everyone’s worries are like that.

Some people, like me, have no choice. Some people want more than anything to have their anxiety and depression to just be whisked away. God also brought therapists and counselors to this earth to help me and to help those who can’t just pray their worries away.

If I am being honest, then there have been several times when I have not gone to church or have skipped out on church events because of this exactly. I don’t like to go to church. Why? Because church makes me feel like I’m being a bad person. I don’t need to add more blame to myself when I already blame myself for every single problem in the world.

So, rather than accuse someone of not being a faithful follower of Christ, listen to their story. Ask them how you can help. Pray for them, and be patient. Help them through their storm in life.

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