Anxiety really hit home for me when a child in our ministry suddenly became paralyzed by it. She'd refuse to get on the school bus, avoid Sunday school, and cling to her parents like her life depended on it. At the time, I didn't get it. Nothing we tried could coax her out of this overwhelming fear. She eventually outgrew it, but it left me wondering.
Years later, when I went through my own battle with anxiety, I understood. It's not some vague issue we need to resolve within kids; it's not something they can simply "outgrow." It's as real as this unseen hand clutching at your chest, whispering in your ear that something terrible is on its way. I would have episodes of that, bracing my body for impact on behalf of things which weren't even there.
I have learned that a child's anxiety is a thing we can soothe neither with platitudes nor distractions. In fact, it's deeper than that.
What I finally understand now, both from being an observer and living with it, is the fact that we should recognize anxiety as not a defeat. It is a moment. Kids experiencing anxiety need patience, empathy, and a real sense of safety, not just quick fixes or empty reassurances. And for me, I had to confront the fact that even though anxiety seems endless, we're not alone in facing it. These are tough moments, but through them, we learn to work out our resilience and discover peacefulness in God's changeless care.