Faith Over Fear

FACING OUR FEAR OF THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC

Eyes suddenly open and palms feeling clammy, I wipe the tiny bead of sweat from my forehead. I roll over and the clock reads 3:02 a.m. My heart beats loudly in my ears and I take a few deep breaths, hoping to slow it down. I roll onto my back and stare up at the ceiling in disbelief, thankful it was just a dream.

Have you been there? The nightmare felt so real, and you woke up in a cold sweat. Fear and anxiety have an incredible physical effect on the human body, and our world is no stranger to fear these days. The coronavirus (COVID-19) has affected all of us worldwide, causing stress on individuals and our families. What does fear do to the human body? To learn more, I connected with Matt Hansmeier, M.D. from Duluth, MN, who has been practicing urgent care medicine for several years and working with college students.

What Fear Does to Our Bodies

Most of us have a general idea of how our bodies respond in a moment of fear. Our hearts beat faster, our hands get clammy, and maybe we’ll start to sweat. Dr. Hansmeier shared a few more physical symptoms which can occur in response to stress and anxiety, such as mind-racing, tachycardia (elevated heart rate), shortness of breath, chest pains, memory changes, abdominal pain, nausea, aches in neck and shoulders, and much more. I also learned that the effect can be even more serious than we may think.

“When our minds perceive something stressful, there are signals sent to the sympathetic nervous system which then triggers a cascade of hormones that ultimately produce the physical symptoms associated with a hyperarousal state. When these symptoms go unchecked, it can produce detrimental effects on our ability to fight infections, mood disorders (such as prolonged depression), memory changes, and often leads to extensive and expensive medical testing to rule out other disorders without any identifiable physical cause.” – Dr. Hansmeier

I was curious to know if there are additional effects on our health if fear remains for an extended period of time, and Dr. Hansmeier had insight on this, too.

“Imagine running a car or motor with the gas pedal to the floor for a prolonged time and the wear-and-tear that would do to an engine. That’s essentially the same principle when it comes to physical detriment to the human body when in sustained hyperarousal state. Some of the more common effects of prolonged fear and unresolved anxiety result in clinical depression, weight gain, frequent migraines and headaches, and difficulty with digestion…”

I’ll spare you the gruesome details there.

In times like these, for the Christian, we prove whether our proclaimed trust in the sovereignty of God is something we actually believe in.

Putting Fear into Perspective

The threat of COVID-19 is real, and it is natural that our bodies respond to this threat with a little bit of fear. The root of our latest anxieties may be this  worldwide virus reminding us of our own mortality or that of our loved ones. But it should also remind us of what was true all along: we are not in control of our lives. In times like these, for the Christian, we prove whether our proclaimed trust in the sovereignty of God is something we actually believe in.

Our Response to Fear

When a crisis enters our lives, it reveals what we fear most. For many people, it’s death or economic hardships. However, our greatest fear should be a lack of right standing with God. Don’t waste this fearful time; let it cause you to really think about death. Ecclesiastes 7:2 says, “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.” Fear can often show us how weak our faith and trust in God actually is, yet God is gracious and merciful, even to those struggling with belief issues. God wants us to trust Him, and sometimes He uses fear as a means to draw us in.

Don’t put your body through the stress that fear and anxiety bring. Instead, pursue God. Admit you don’t have control and submit to His. Romans 12:12 says to “rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (ESV). Patiently endure suffering. Trust God. Have faith in Him. That’s our part.

 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! 
- Psalm 27:14, NKJV

 In the multitude of my anxieties within me, your comforts delight my soul. 
- Psalm 94:19, NKJV