So You Think
You’re Anxious?
By
Camilla Smith
Be prepared.
This is not the
happy, happy
little article
that you would
usually come
across from
me. Time to
spill my
guts. Time to
dig deep and put
out the raw
emotions that I
felt today while
on my walk. I
wanted to fall
to my knees. I
wanted to burst
into tears. I
wanted to cry
out to Almighty
God. I stifled
it and walked
on. What was
causing this
anguish? I wish
I could pinpoint
one thing, but I
knew all too
well it was a
complex mass of
a metastasizing
tumor that has
taken over our
world, and I
felt helpless,
hopeless,
devastated,
heartbroken,
desperate and
morose all at
the same time.
Let’s start with
my job. I think
that was the
kicker
today. You see,
just about the
time I start to
think maybe we
are going to be
lingering on
this earth for a
while longer, I
go to my
computer to
work. In my job,
I see case after
case after case
of
drug-addicted,
drug-seeking,
drug-abusing and
drug-deluded
people who are
spiraling into
darkness.
Many, if not
most of them are
in their 20s and
30s. Many of
them are anxious
and
depressed. Many,
way too many,
are on
Disability for
their
“illnesses” and
the large
majority of them
are so far gone
that they will
never be
back. It is an
epidemic. We are
losing this
generation so
quickly it is
astonishing.
Many of these
people are too
“sick” to
work—they have
found the magic
diagnosis or
diagnoses that
will allow them
to live off the
dwindling
remainder of
those of us who
still do
work. They have
chronic pain,
chronic anxiety,
chronic
depression,
chronic panic,
chronic suicidal
thoughts,
chronic
homicidal
thoughts and are
chronically in
the emergency
department,
police
department or
the psychiatric
unit.
Nothing new, you
say?
Oh, yes it
is. It is
epic. I have
worked in this
field for
thirty-plus-years
and I have
never, ever been
so positively
jerked back into
thinking that
the Lord must
certainly, I
repeat,
certainly, be
coming soon. Our
nation cannot
handle this. Our
financial
situation is so
dire that the
government
simply writing
checks to this
huge percentage
of the
population will
tip us over the
edge.
Why all this
hopelessness
among our
youth? You tell
me. I’m nearly
50 and I don’t
have children,
but I’m not too
impressed with
the parenting I
see coming out
of my
generation. We
have to be the
most selfish
generation in
centuries. I
don’t know what
happened to
us. Of course,
there are plenty
of good parents
out there, but
we are driven by
a “reality TV”
world and it
seems that we
have lost our
senses. It is
easy for me to
say, I know,
because I have
never been a
first-hand
parent and I
don’t understand
today’s
problems. It’s
true.
But I have seen
hundreds,
probably
thousands of
teenagers and
young adults
come crashing
down on a daily
basis and I see
the broken
situations these
kids come
from. Many of
them are living
in the same
house with their
parents,
grandparents and
in many
instances with
babies (that
they themselves
have had in or
out of
wedlock). Four
generations
under one roof
with the oldest
among them
carrying the
burden. Well,
the money is
about to run
out. And that
older generation
will die before
their time due
to the stress,
because I can
tell you, these
youngsters are
too
self-indulgent
and immersed in
their own antics
to take care of
the elderly.
I cannot ever
remember a time
when so many of
our young people
don’t drive at
the driving
age. They don’t
work at the
working
age. They don’t
get married,
they just
cohabitate and
procreate. They
have big lavish
baby showers,
ridiculous
secular-themed
churchless
weddings, long
after the babies
have been born,
divorces a few
years later, and
then the process
repeats itself.
It truly is all
about the
drama. The
attention. The
focus on
“me.” Is the
camera on? Is
this on social
media? Will
everyone see me
and read about
me? What will I
do to top this
when I wake-up
tomorrow? If
nothing can top
it, I will just
take some pain
pills and sleep
all day.
Oh my, we didn’t
know how bleak
this was going
to get, did
we? Forgive me,
but it has been
brewing inside
me for a long
time now.
Who is to
blame? Satan. Duh. He
is on a
whirlwind world
tour and he is
selling out at
every event. He
is kicking butt
and taking
names. He is
laughing all the
way to the
proverbial blood
bank. He is
looking for easy
targets and they
are
everywhere. Our
society has been
so infiltrated
by his
diabolical
gangrene that we
don’t know the
up from the down
and boy, are we
down—dumbed
down.
If you have
turned on the
television set
lately, you will
notice that
probably 80% of
the shows on TV
have something
to do with dark,
devious,
devouring
devilishness. The
titles for the
programs—good
grief! It’s all
there;
everything from
666 to blood and
guts; sexual
perversion to
piercing and
tattoos. Wicked
this, deviant
that. My
cable-based home
page even puts
the top-watched
programs on the
listing every
day and they are
ALL evil-tinged,
demonic-laced or
immoral-themed
shows.
Nearly every new
movie that comes
out involves the
supernatural and
not in a godly
way, might I
say. You cannot
sit through a TV
show or even a
commercial
without hearing
that annoying
bleeping noise
every ten
seconds. You
cannot watch any
reality show
without a
catfight or a
smack down. It
is
unbelievable. It
is overwhelming
and it is so
obvious that
there is a force
at work that is
using its
maniacal powers
to take over our
minds. Unfortunately,
it is working.
So what can we
do as believers
to thwart the
darkness that we
are being thrust
into? It is
almost too much,
isn’t it? It was
for me today. I
cannot remember
feeling such a
rush of sorrow
and distress in
those few
minutes this
afternoon, and I
could almost see
the face of the
evil one,
laughing and
taunting me,
taking pleasure
in knowing I was
feeling pain for
the lost souls
he has taken and
continues to
snatch.
He won’t win. He
is winning now,
but ultimately,
he is
defeated. The
victory is
already
ours. Conquered
at Calvary, my
friends. Jesus
has fought this
battle and won
it handily.
We as Christians
need to be
strong and
determined. We
need to be alert
like Jesus was
when He said to
Peter, “Get thee
behind Me,
Satan” and we
need to be able
to recognize
Satan’s
tactics. He
thrives on
confusion. He
loves chaos. He
jumps in at the
slightest
opening. He
preys on the
weak. He is
certainly the
god of this
world. But he
flees at the
name of
Jesus. And that
is all we need
to know.
“And even if our
gospel is
veiled, it is
veiled to those
who are
perishing, in
whose case the
god of this
world has
blinded the
minds of the
unbelieving so
that they might
not see the
light of the
gospel of the
glory of Christ,
who is the image
of God” (2
Corinthians
4:3-4).
I saw a post the
other day that
said we probably
have quite a bit
of time before
the Rapture of
the
church. Don’t
believe it. My
first thought
was, “That is
exactly when it
is going to
happen.” When we
have depleted
our spiritual
savings and are
running on the
fumes of
frustration and
doubt, the
trumpet will
sound. I don’t
believe God will
lead us down the
path of
disappointment. We
know He is
calling us home
soon. We know it
in our
fibers. We feel
it in our guts.
We must live it
in our remaining
days. Someone
asked me a few
months ago how
long did I think
it would be
until the
Rapture, like 20
years, or 2
years? I don’t
know, but I told
them I thought
closer to 2 than
20. It’s just my
feeling. But
God’s timing
will be perfect
and if it is 200
years, think of
how many souls
could be reached
for His kingdom
in that expanse
of opportunity!
I don’t know
when He is
sending Jesus
for us. I only
know, my heart
tells me it is
soon, and that
is how I cope
with the world
gone mad. Many
have gone before
us who have seen
untold horrors
and things we
cannot imagine—I
believe they
probably thought
Jesus was coming
soon. But things
are culminating
now. Prophecies
are fulfilled
and the season
is at hand.
If it
happened tonight,
would you be
ready? Are there
people around
you who fit the
categories I
mentioned
above? Are there
young people in
your life who
are in pain and
despair and who
need to know the
Lord? Command
Satan to get
behind them and
ask God to give
them strength
and guidance.
Pray daily for
their
deliverance from
whatever is
attacking them
and ask God to
give you
opportunity to
witness to
them. Myself, I
feel we have
very little
time. I see the
clock ticking
every day while
I am simply
doing my
job. God can
deliver anyone
from
anything. Soon,
he will deliver
His children to
eternity in
heaven and I
know I want to
hear Him say,
“Well done.”
I have a lot to
do. I’d better
get going…
Camilla