It is amazing how many folks are having panic attacks these days. I never even knew what a panic attack was until the mid 1990’s when one of my family members experienced this. We rushed to the hospital sure that one was experiencing a heart attack. Heart was racing. Chest and arm was hurting. Mouth was dry and face taught! This sure looked like a possible heart attack to me and the one experiencing this. This was accompanied by nausea and an upset stomach. Simply put, this is a horrible experience, but one that has more and more people becoming familiar with in this day and time.
Why? I am not a medical doctor, so I will not attempt to explain why good people of post adolescent age are experiencing these attacks in ever increasing numbers. What I do know is that these experiences are debilitating. I even know of one person who had three of these in one day. I know that some people will not ride across bridges because they know they will have a panic attack, and some will not even go out to eat in a public restaurant because they may experience one. I do not want to confuse this with agoraphobia, which I also know someone who suffers from this (and she cannot drive outside a fifteen mile radius of her home).
God seeks to heal us through both faith and science. God uses medical doctors, medicine and technology, as well as faith and prayer to deliver us from the land of slavery, the house of bondage. The word, “panic,” as used in the Bible (NRSV), is only found in the Old Testament. The first context of panic describes God’s infliction of panic upon the Egyptian army as they pursue Moses and the Israelites who are leaving Egypt. In all of the Old Testament contexts panic is used as a tool of God against unbelievers, even against the Israelites themselves when they turned away from God to pursue worthless idols. Panic is not God’s intention for humanity. Peace is! But how attuned are we to God today? Do we spend as much time in relationship with God as we do the secular news and concerns?
Our country suffered a sort of panic attack on 9/11/01. Wall Street experienced many days of panic during October 2008. Review the downward panic drops of the Dow Jones Industrial Average during the month of October. Consider how the media reacted to the Senate’s rejection of the first bailout bill – panic from the newsroom into your living room!
November is a time for us to focus on Thanksgiving. Spend time daily giving thanks to God for all that God has done, and all that God has promised! As God’s children, let us not be like the unbelievers who panic based on who wins this election, or what happens to Wall Street, or the banking industry, or the price of gas. Let us be the children of God we are called to be and relax because we know who we are and whose we are and who is in control of our lives. God has covered our past, taken care of our future, and seeks to fill us with his Presence in the present. Stay focused on the Good News and let that dictate your peace, not the nightly news!
In Christ,
Dr. Fitzgerald
Why? I am not a medical doctor, so I will not attempt to explain why good people of post adolescent age are experiencing these attacks in ever increasing numbers. What I do know is that these experiences are debilitating. I even know of one person who had three of these in one day. I know that some people will not ride across bridges because they know they will have a panic attack, and some will not even go out to eat in a public restaurant because they may experience one. I do not want to confuse this with agoraphobia, which I also know someone who suffers from this (and she cannot drive outside a fifteen mile radius of her home).
God seeks to heal us through both faith and science. God uses medical doctors, medicine and technology, as well as faith and prayer to deliver us from the land of slavery, the house of bondage. The word, “panic,” as used in the Bible (NRSV), is only found in the Old Testament. The first context of panic describes God’s infliction of panic upon the Egyptian army as they pursue Moses and the Israelites who are leaving Egypt. In all of the Old Testament contexts panic is used as a tool of God against unbelievers, even against the Israelites themselves when they turned away from God to pursue worthless idols. Panic is not God’s intention for humanity. Peace is! But how attuned are we to God today? Do we spend as much time in relationship with God as we do the secular news and concerns?
Our country suffered a sort of panic attack on 9/11/01. Wall Street experienced many days of panic during October 2008. Review the downward panic drops of the Dow Jones Industrial Average during the month of October. Consider how the media reacted to the Senate’s rejection of the first bailout bill – panic from the newsroom into your living room!
November is a time for us to focus on Thanksgiving. Spend time daily giving thanks to God for all that God has done, and all that God has promised! As God’s children, let us not be like the unbelievers who panic based on who wins this election, or what happens to Wall Street, or the banking industry, or the price of gas. Let us be the children of God we are called to be and relax because we know who we are and whose we are and who is in control of our lives. God has covered our past, taken care of our future, and seeks to fill us with his Presence in the present. Stay focused on the Good News and let that dictate your peace, not the nightly news!
In Christ,
Dr. Fitzgerald
2 comments:
Without your permission I used this blog post on Wed night as part of our small group discussion following supper. We had 5 tables of adults and I had copied 5 different blog posts from people that I connect with and it was a great activity! I ended up in 'your' group and a woman whom I had known for 14 years shared her experience of being treated for panic attacks two years ago (I knew nothing about this). Thanks for the very thoughtful post that ended up being very meaningful to five people on a Wed night in south Georgia! I love you!
Wow! Thanks Rick. I sure hope I can find some possible way to see you soon! You and your family remain in my prayers.
Steve
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