By Jason Mehl
If you are not struggling with anxiety, you know at least one person who is. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 31% of American adults will experience anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. In the U.S., since the coronavirus pandemic, reported cases of anxiety and depression have increased by 6%. When we pray for the sick and the needy, our hearts are bent toward the restoration of the physical and mental health of everyone. Pastors, teachers, missionaries, lay-workers, and volunteers are called by God and appointed by churches to serve our congregations and communities and to reach as many sick and needy people with God’s love and resources.
But what do we do when the people dedicated to helping those in need find themselves in need?
It has recently become apparent that those called to meet the needs of others are in need themselves. According to the Barna Group, 42% of American pastors have considered quitting full-time ministry this year, citing stress and loneliness (two factors that contribute to mental health disorders) as reasons. One pastor surveyed said, “We need sages to advise us, leaders to direct us or hold us accountable, peers to remind us that we aren’t alone, healers to dress our wounds and companions who carry us when we can’t carry on.”
Anxiety often results in real problems. Thank God, Jesus offers real solutions. After several years of full-time missionary service in Uganda, I began experiencing debilitating panic attacks, culminating in the complete loss of my voice for four months. Losing hope, I left Uganda for a sabbatical month in Ireland. Within three days, an Irish priest and therapist taught me an ancient Christian prayer, my voice was restored, and I began the ongoing journey of living with anxiety and battling disorder.
I have spent the last 13 years learning that anxiety is not an enemy to be defeated or destroyed. Anxiety is the natural result of difficulty. Pain is the natural result of injury. Grief is the natural result of loss. Like pain and grief, anxiety can lead to all kinds of darkness. However, when properly addressed, (like pain and grief) anxiety can be an ally--a spark--that leads to light and abundant life. My experience with anxiety has resulted in me developing habits of prayer and contemplation that prepare me to consistently and completely submit to God’s sovereign will and beg for his unconditional mercy and grace.
I am eager to spend May 18th with a group of pastors, sharing my story, listening to theirs, and praying together in an effort to find hope through complicated and sometimes terrifying layers of anxiety. My prayer is that those who participate will move a few steps closer to restoration that will prepare them to continue on that path, while also providing them with tools to employ in pursuit of their own peace and the peace of the needy whom they are called to serve.
Jason Mehl resides in Savannah, Ga. and is a former missionary who faced debilitating anxiety, sought treatment, recognized thought and life patterns that needed to be adjusted, made adjustments, and returned to fruitful work, stronger and more effective.
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To help address the needs of our clergy, the South Georgia Conference Clergy Mental Health Task Force is putting together a series of retreats to support clergy in their mental health. The first retreat, Anxiety: Enemy or Ally, is set for May 18 from 10am-4pm at
Wesley Gardens in Savannah, Ga.
Led by Jason Mehl and Christian Swails, this one day retreat will focus on what anxiety is and is not, how to work through anxiety, and how to speak to fear. Spiritual formation components will also be a part of the day. Jason is a former missionary who faced debilitating anxiety, sought treatment, recognized thought and life patterns that needed to be adjusted, made adjustments, and returned to fruitful work, stronger and more effective. Christian is a Spiritual Director at Wesley Gardens Retreat Center and founder of CoCreations ministry, a spiritual formation ministry focused on one thing: making space for others to experience the presence of God in all areas of life.
The cost for this event is $20 (lunch is included). To register, click here:
https://sgaumc-reg.brtapp.com/ANXIETYEnemyorAlly. Please note: this retreat will be capped at 30 participants. Additional clergy retreats are being planned for the Fall.
