I'm Not Okay (Part 1)

Introduction

Attention:

This is a Nerf gun!

What I would like to do is to give someone the opportunity to shoot down these cups with the Nerf gun. Who would like to do it?

Alright; now I need somebody to explain to me how a Nerf gun works

The biggest thing to note is that the gun has a trigger, and that trigger applies pressure where the dart is located, which causes it shoot out

In a general sense, a trigger causes something else to happen

Nerf guns have triggers, but lots of other things have triggers to, including our mind and emotions

So tonight, we are kicking off our Series “I’m Not Okay” by looking at a Bible passage that demonstrates some triggers for anxiety and depression.

The title “I’m Not Okay” is centered in the idea that mental health is a real issue, and we shouldn’t avoid talking about it

There are times in life where you’re not okay, and that’s okay!

So to start, we will see some triggers for anxiety and depression in 1 Kings 19.

Need:

It is important for us to hear this message because anxiety and depression are a reality, especially among teens.

How many teens on average do you think struggle with anxiety and depression?

According to the World Health Organization, one in seven 10-19 year-olds struggle with some form of mental disorder, of which depression and anxiety are at the top of the list.

That means that this is a chronic issue for 14% of teens.

So we need to hear about this because it is a part of our world

Those of us who especially struggle with this get it, because we live with it every day

But even if it is not as much of a struggle for you, people around you are struggling with it, so you need to know how you can be the hands and feet of Jesus in their lives.

So because this is something that is so much a part of our world, we need to know what factors contribute to it

Thankfully, 1 Kings 19 shows us what some of the main things that contribute to anxiety and depression are

And I use the word “contribute” for a reason, because what the research that we are looking at is telling us is that anxiety and depressing are chronic, AKA they don’t always have a clear cause but are rather the result of a chemical imbalance

This is why people take medication for it. I get this, as I have to take medication for my anxiety disorder.

But even when it is something that you struggle with on a chronic level, there are certain factors that make it spike up and get worse. Those factors are what we see in 1 Kings 19.

So let’s jump in!

Body

The Big Idea: Anxiety and depression have triggers.

The Question: What are some triggers for anxiety and depression?

Disappointment (1 Kings 19:1-2)

Isolation (1 Kings 19:3-4)

Exhaustion (1 Kings 19:5)

1 Kings 19:1–2 NLT

When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.”

Explanation:

Alright; let’s talk a little bit about this passage, and then let’s see if we can make some connections to dealing with mental health in our world.

Elijah had just finished one of the most epic battles of all time.

On Mount Carmel, Elijah defeated the 450 prophets of Baal (and no, it is not “Mount Caramel”.

This was a HUGE triumph, and Elijah expected Ahab (who was Israel’s king at the time) and Jezebel (his wife) to repent.

Q. But what is it that happens here? Do they repent? (No).

When they heard about what the Lord had done at Mt. Carmel, they didn’t respond in repentance;

Rather, Ahab tells Jezebel what happened, which prompted her to send a message to Elijah saying that she was going to kill him

This is literally the exact opposite of what Elijah wanted; it seems like it is the worst thing that could have possibly happened.

They don’t respond with repentance; they respond with rage!

That’s like hoping for a Subway gift card for your birthday, but getting a knuckle sandwich instead.

So, Elijah is disappointed, he expected something good to happen, but something bad happened instead

This triggers anxiety and depression in his life (which we will see more clearly later; hang with me!).

Adolescence is often one of the first stages in life where one truly begins to feel disappointment

Q. How do today’s teen’s most commonly experience disappointment?

One example is feeling disappointment with yourself. Maybe your grades aren’t what you think they should be, and you are tired of feeling like you’re letting your parents down all of the time.

Maybe your disappointed that you asked somebody out on a date that you have had a crush on for a really long time, and they said “no”

Maybe you wanted to win the football game, but you didn’t

Maybe you wanted to make it onto the drama tea, but you didn’t

Maybe you want to fit in with that group of people at school, but no matter how hard you try, you just don’t,

Maybe that you’ve figured out that that person that you’ve looked up to for so long is a hypocrite; they’re “fake”

There are plenty of other examples that could be given, but you get the point.

As a teenager, disappointment is inevitable.

And if you are somebody that struggles with anxiety and depression in any kind of way, it is easy for disappointment to trigger those feelings.

But thankfully, for the Christian teenager, there is a Christian solution to your disappointment

Within a sea of things that don’t last forever, God comes to you and tells you that nothing will EVER separate you from his love (Romans 8)

And he proved that to you by dying for you on a cross, and rising from the grave

In the face of disappointment, the tomb is still empty. Now THAT’S something that can give you peace!

Illustration:

An area that I experienced a lot of disappointment in in my late teens and into my mid 20’s was with dating.

There were SO many times that I really wanted something to work out with somebody, but it just didn’t happen

And it would make me SO disappointed.

And that disappointed made me feel anxious, and it made me feel depressed.

But I learned something; the secret wasn’t for me to try and avoid feeling disappointment; it was to acknowledge it, and then to choose to respond to it differently

The Lord has used this in my life to grow my faith, and to make it to where I can be content in all sorts of circumstances

And then he blessed me with Samie eventually!

Application:

When was the last time you felt disappointed?

Maybe recently, you can relate with one of those scenarios we were talking about a minute ago

Or maybe, it is been awhile. But we have all been disappointed at some point

What emotions were triggered by that disappointment?

Write them down as they come to you on your handout.

Did it make you feel anxious? Depressed? Hopeless?

What are some ways that you can trust God with your disappointment?

We will talk about about ways to biblically deal with anxiety and depression on week 3, but for now, begin to think of some action steps that you can take to deal with this stuff

Think of someone that you can share your disappointment with; maybe a parent or a church leader

the goal isn’t to run away from the disappointment, but to allow yourself to experience it, and to response to it positively rather than negatively

So experience it, and don’t surrender to anxiety and depression on account of it.

The Big Idea: Anxiety and depression have triggers.

The Question: What are some triggers for anxiety and depression?

Disappointment (1 Kings 19:1-2)

Isolation (1 Kings 19:3-4)

Exhaustion (1 Kings 19:5)

1 Kings 19:3–4 (NLT)

Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”

Explanation:

So here is where we see the depression clearly coming in

What specific action does Elijah take here?

He leaves his servant, and the result is that he is alone.

Not only that; he goes VERY far away, so far that no one can find him

What is the first thing that Elijah does after he gets alone?

He prays that God would kill him!

In this moment, Elijah essentially looks up to God and says “I’m just a kid and my life is nightmare”

And this is just after one of the greatest victories in all of Scripture!

When we read this, it is easy for us to think that he should be on cloud 9

Why isn’t Elijah on cloud 9?

Because he’s disappointed (which we have already talked about), and he is afraid for his life.

And let’s not miss the severity of what Elijah is feeling here; he feels so depressed and anxious that he wishes God would kill him!

But I don’t think that Elijah has been doing himself any favors; I think that he has done something that has resulted in him feeling even worse.

What did Elijah do to make his problem even worse?

He isolated himself, which has no triggered this depression that he is experiencing

Unfortunately, post 2020 teens are isolating themselves now more than ever

Why are so many teens isolated?

COVID certainly is a contributing factor

Cell phone and social media also haven’t helped (don’t get me wrong, I use these things, too, but there are some negative side effects that go along with using them)

Another reason is because one of Gen z’s top values is authenticity. This is ultimately a good thing, but one thing that happens is that it is hard to trust people, because you are worried that they are going to turn out to be “fake.”

There are lots of different ways that teens struggle with this, and the sad thing about it is that isolation is a trigger for anxiety and depression

In the moment, that doesn’t feel like the case; it feels like being around people will make you stressed and depressed, but in actuality we are depriving ourselves of one of the main things that we need; each other.

Illustration

One of the biggest ways that I isolate myself sometimes is simply by not reaching out to people like I should.

That might not seem like it’s “isolation” since it is more passive, but in the context that God created us to be in community with each other, it is isolation!

For me, one thing that I’ll struggle with is “why hasn’t so-in-so wanted to hang out recently? Why haven’t they texted me in awhile?”

And yeah, that might be a good question, but you know what is another good question? Why haven’t I reached out to them?

I can’t blame them for not doing something that I haven’t been doing either...

So yeah, I am trying to do a better job at reaching out to people so that I don’t experience isolation.

Application:

How have you isolated yourself since the 2020 pandemic?

I think that, if we are all being honest, there is an extent to which we have all done this one way or another

But what has it looked like for you?

In what ways has your isolation made you feel anxious or depressed?

Maybe you haven’t been thinking about this the right way; maybe before tonight, you didn’t really realize that you were isolating yourself

But now, if you can see that a little more clearly, how have you felt? Be honest.

What can you do to avoid being isolated?

Maybe tonight after church, you need to send a friend a text, seeing if they want to hang out

Maybe you need to get to know some of the people in this room a little better

Maybe you need to spend less time in your room by yourself and more time with your family in the living room

If you feel anxious or depressed, ask yourself “am i isolating myself? What can I do to stop that?” And then do it!

The Big Idea: Anxiety and depression have triggers.

The Question: What are some triggers for anxiety and depression?

Disappointment (1 Kings 19:1-2)

Isolation (1 Kings 19:3-4)

Exhaustion (1 Kings 19:5-9)

1 Kings 19:5–9 NLT

Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again. Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. There he came to a cave, where he spent the night. But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Explanation:

In this passage, how does God provide for Elijah?

So here, the main thing that happens is that God provides for Elijah by giving Him food to eat.

But why does he need food? Because he’s exhausted

Well, why is he exhausted?

He’s been traveling… a lot.

In verse 3, it says that he ran from Mount Carmel to Beersheba, which is about 120 miles.

Then he travels even further into the wilderness for an entire day.

Altogether, we’re talking about 300 miles altogether!

One the one hand, no wonder he passes out; he was SO tired.

But also, no wonder that he felt depressed and said that he wishes the Lord would take his life.

It is hard to think rationally when you are exhausted.

Do you guys think that most teens these days are exhausted? Why or why not?

Here’s an easy one; school is exhausting

From being at school all day, only to finish up the day with practices, rehearsals, and homework… its a constant thing, and you don’t really get a break.

And this contributes to another problem; a lot of teens don’t get enough sleep.

Because your day is filled with so much stuff from school, when you get a free minute at night, you feel like you need some screen time before you go to bed, and that often goes longer than expected.

There are a lot of examples that we could still give, but that will do for now

The exhaustion that you feel points you towards the Gospel. Check out this thing that Jesus said:

Matthew 11:28–30 (NLT)

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Jesus came to give rest to our souls

Our sinful souls are exhausted. We keep trying to make a name for ourselves, or to work our way towards God, but we still end up messing it up.

But Jesus came and was good enough for us; now, we can rest in what he has accomplished at the cross. Your soul can take it easy now

And guess what? If your soul can take it easy, so can your mind and emotions!

There is no more relaxing feeling than realizing that Jesus has forgiven your sins; it doesn’t get any better than that.

So avoid triggering anxiety and depression by avoiding exhaustion!

Illustration:

One thing that I’ve figured out recently is that I have sleep apnea

Who knows what sleep apnea is?

That’s right; it is a condition where you don’t breath properly when you are sleeping

A lot of times, people with sleep apnea snore very loudly… apparently, that’s not something that I struggle with, so that’s good

But it does make it hard for me to sleep well, which makes me tired, which makes me less able to effectively deal with mental health stuff

So I am trying to get this figured out! I am in the process of trying to get a mouthpiece to help me sleep better, and I am also trying to have less screen time before bed so that I can sleep better.

Application:

What is it right now that is making you the most exhausted?

School? After school activities?

Write it down on your handout.

What are some ways that, as Christian teens, you can avoid being completely exhausted?

To a certain extent, it is impossible to completely avoid being tired; its not like dropping out of school is really an option.

So what are some things you can do?

Maybe you need to learn to say “no” sometimes.

It feels like we need to agree to everything and say “yes,” but one of the greatest acts of self-care is to say “no” from time to time.

Also, while it is easy to feel to “exhausted” to spend time in God’s word, I promise you; there is nothing more restful and peaceful than spending daily time with God

It will refuel your tank in ways that you never thought possible!

So maybe that’s something you can do; you can sign up for our devotionals and thus take a next step (I believe that God is calling some of you to do this tonight).

Take care of yourself! God wants that for you. And it will make dealing with mental health stuff much more manageable.

Conclusion

Visualization

The severity of what you feel has triggers

There are ways to deal with/avoid these triggers, which we have talked about today

Reiteration

Tonight, make a commitment to be aware of the triggers around you, and to allow the Lord to lead you and guide you as you try to navigate through them.

Mental health is no joke. This stuff is important.

Let’s begin to be more mindful of this stuff, and let’s come back next week and continue to chat about this.

PRAY