Social Anxiety as a Christian: Overcome with Love!

 

We know that social anxiety hurts ourselves through lack of social connection, but let’s think about the impact it has on others, and on our obedience to God.

 

1. Church

 

Some people are too nervous to go to church, because of social anxiety. While it’s true that we can find a relationship with God outside church, He designed us to be part of a “body” of other believers.

 

We might listen to preaching online, and we can worship at home, but what about fellowship? The most common verse used for church is Hebrews 10:25- not forsaking the assembling of ourselves. And why? It doesn’t say only for worship (which can be alone), but to “provoke one another to love and good works.” That means we need interaction.

 

Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 12 show how God designed all believers to be one body, the body of Christ, edifying each other with our specific gifts and callings. Every single believer has a gift to be used in edifying other believers! So let’s not be separate but stay in fellowship with other Christians, to edify them.

 

2. Sharing the Gospel

 

Maybe you know you should speak publicly to share the gospel, but you're worried about what people think. It's not that you are ashamed of the gospel; you are ashamed of yourself. You might even worry that you’re not “good enough” and you’re a distraction from Jesus, and you don’t want to bring your own shame onto people’s impression of Jesus. You feel that your limitations would do more harm than good. It's like Moses, as he felt inadequate. Yet God says His strength is made perfect in weakness! Let’s not allow our feelings to hinder us from sharing the gospel with the lost. It's worth it to obey God and have compassion on the lost.

 

3. Finding Friends

 

As I chat with people online, loneliness is a common problem people come with. One girl told me about her severe social anxiety; she is so lonely that she is depressed and lacks motivation. For her, it's not easy to make conversation with people, so she would rather sit on the side and wait for people to approach her.

 

There was also a guy who was interested in a girl, but he gets nervous around her. I can relate to that from the opposite perspective, from my past. But the thing is, we have to get our eyes off ourselves. We have to change from caring about what they think of us, to caring more for them.

 

We won't be accepted by literally every person we ever meet, but that is actually normal; no one is accepted by everyone! Those of us that are socially awkward might feel like we'll be rejected by everyone, but that's not really the case. There are a lot of people who are caring enough that they overlook social blunders. Besides that, for my point here in general, there are people who simply want someone to care for them, and we should reach out to them, regardless of our fears. Don’t wait for someone to come to you; look for other people who want someone to reach out to them.

 

So…

Reaching out to people is worth the cost of embarrassment. Over time, it becomes easier to jump into uncomfortable situations where we might get embarrassed. If we stay in our comfort zone, there is a lot to miss out on- not only relationships, but also eternal rewards from serving God, and the joy and purpose that comes from blessing others. So, if we get embarrassed, it will be okay! At least we have taken the initiative to love God and love others as ourselves.