God is not disappointed in your nervous system.

Your nervous system is part of your neurobiology, not your morality. It is not a measure of your faith, your spiritual maturity, or your obedience to God.

What’s Actually Happening When You Feel Anxious

Anxiety occurs when the amygdala - the brain’s threat-detection centre - perceives danger and activates the sympathetic nervous system. This process often happens before the thinking brain has time to assess what’s truly going on.

In other words, your body moves first. Your nervous system responds instinctively in an attempt to protect you.

When anxiety, trauma, or OCD are present, this system can become over-sensitive. It becomes prone to detecting threat where there is none, meaning it has learned to stay on high alert.

God Is Not Surprised by Your Nervous System

God created your brain and body with this protective system in place. He is not shocked when it becomes dysregulated through trauma, chronic stress, or mental health conditions like OCD. Scripture reminds us of His compassionate understanding:

“For He knows how weak we are; He remembers we are only human.” - Psalm 103:14

OCD and other anxiety disorders are not evidence of a lack of trust or surrender. Clinically speaking, they reflect a misfiring threat-detection system, not a spiritual deficit.

Healing Is About Neuroplasticity, Not Moral Perfection

From a clinical perspective, healing involves neuroplasticity - the brain’s ability to learn, over time, that situations it once feared are actually safe.

This kind of healing requires repetition, patience, and compassion. Change happens through gentle, consistent experiences of safety.

Jesus and the Power of Attunement

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus consistently met dysregulated people with attunement, not criticism. Regulation begins in relationship.

When Peter panicked on the water, Jesus didn’t lecture him on faith first. He reached for him.

“Jesus immediately reached out His hand and took hold of him…” - Matthew 14:31

God does not require your nervous system to be regulated before you are allowed to draw near. You don’t have to calm down before you’re welcomed.

Safety Comes Before Calm

Safety always comes before calm, not the other way around. Your recovery is not about disappointing God less, it's about retraining a nervous system in the presence of a God who is already safe.

Rest is not a reward for being less anxious. It is both a biological and spiritual necessity.

Jesus Himself invites us into this truth:

“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” - Matthew 11:21

You are not failing because your body feels tired, vigilant, or overwhelmed. You are human, and you are seen and known by your Shepherd.