We always struggle with the hurdles of emotional outbreaks. Fear, anxiety, and sorrow can make your life so hard. Here are the three tips that we can adapt from Christ in Gethsemane.
1. Sing a Hymn
There’s only one Scripture passage where it’s mentioned that Jesus sang a song, and it’s right before his friends abandoned him: “And so they sang a hymn and went out to Mount Olivet [Gethsemane]” (Mark 14:26). Scholars today might be able to give us a good idea of what Jesus would have sung, based on the Jewish ritual of the Passover Meal. Like the Jewish people, I find the Psalms are the best hymns of comfort. “As the deer pants for the water so my soul longs after thee….” is the one I’ve latched on to. I always hum it at the first hint of nervousness, silently when other people are around, but super loud when I’m alone in the car. St. Augustine said, “a prayer sung once is said twice,” and I promise that having a “go-to” hymn for anxious moments is a powerful, steadying anchor.
2. Pray Earnestly
Pray ‘more earnestly,’ especially to accept God’s will: If we are really to “pray without ceasing,” there must be many different levels of prayer. I talk to God all day long, often while washing dishes or folding clothes. But nothing soothes my soul and sets me up for a better night’s sleep than spending 15 to 20 minutes in a deeper form of meditative prayer each night. That’s when I’m usually plagued with sadness about the past and experience racing thoughts about the future. In these moments, I often think of Jesus in Gethsemane, that “…in his anguish, he prayed more earnestly.” (Luke 22:44).
For this reason, I’ll hide away from my family behind a closed door. I’ll get down on my knees and talk frankly to God in my own words, listing out every single dilemma that’s plaguing me. Then, after shutting my mouth and listening to him in silence for a while (because prayer is more often about God changing our minds, than us changing his), I’ll conclude by saying the rosary, always with the intention of being given the grace to accept God’s Divine will: “…My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39
3. Expect God to send an angel to comfort you
There’s a famous painting by the 19th-century artist Carl Heinrich Bloch entitled Angel with Jesus Christ Before Arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. This painting depicts Luke 22:43, where God has sent an angel to comfort Jesus. I love so many details about this illustration, but my favorite part is how the angel is supporting Jesus’ hand, lifting it in prayer.
“Send me your angel!” I begged Jesus the other night, specifically requesting the same one who comforted him. Right away, I imagined two powerful arms encircling me, just like in the painting. The moment was a bit of a breakthrough, even though I’m pretty sure anxiety is a cross I may carry all my life. But like Jesus, I don’t have to carry it alone. And with the help of his grace, this burden grows lighter each day.