The BRAVE programme is a useful tool for Christian young people who are dealing with anxiety. As Christians we should live the way God intends us to; and that includes not being anxious. The Bible says in Philippians 4 verse 6:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
And Jesus spoke the following words in Matthew 6:
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
For young people battling anxiety, reading the above passages is a challenge. BRAVE is about being brave enough to tackle anxiety and conquer it. It provides Christian young people, and their parents, with sound knowledge and tools they can use to take the first steps towards overcoming anxiety. This, together with the sure knowledge that their God is with them, can help them live as God wants them to… seeking His kingdom and righteousness.
One of the wonderful things about being a Christian is the knowledge that our God knows what we need and cares for us in a such a way that we do not need to be anxious. That allows us to have the courage to be brave, the courage needed to tackle anxiety, because we know that we are safe and secure in his hands.
For Christian young people, it’s important to keep reading the Bible and seeking out Christian guidance and counselling as well as using great tools like BRAVE. Why? Because programmes like BRAVE tend to encourage you to be the hero of the situation; to fight your own battles. As Christians, we know that we are never alone and that no battle is too big for our God
The BRAVE Program, which has been trialled and evaluated over the last 13 years, is an online self-help course that allows young people and their parents to seek support for anxiety in the comfort of their own homes. Read one young person’s take on the new online programme which is supported by Beyond Blue.
Brianna McClean