2010 is rapidly coming to a close, and with it comes the examination of the year that was. For me, that means looking back on accomplishments and, well, more accomplishments, but accompanying the ego-boosting session is a reflection regarding the progress that has been made on a focused pattern of prayers. Throughout the past year, I have asked God to help rid me of anxiety and show me the path toward contentment and peace. As usual, He chose to do this in a manner different from my expectation, electing not to instantaneously lower my heart rate and slow my breath in times of fear, but rather to help me understand the definition and nature of what anxiety truly is. I thought I’d take a minute or two and let you all know what I’ve come to learn.
It’s almost universally understood that anxiety, defined as “a relatively permanent state of worry and nervousness,” is bad. No one ever wants to be anxious, and as an extension we seek to rid ourselves of this undesirable trait. Why? Well, for some, the simple answer is that the Bible says so. Matthew 6 spends an entire passage on the need to free our minds from worry. While the sentiment behind this motivation is noble, I don’t think God ever intended us to act in a certain manner simply because the Bible says to. When Moses went up to the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments, I don’t think God just handed him a few stone tablets and said “Good luck.” It stand to reason that there was explanation involved, a need for Moses to understand the nature of the commandments, so he could in turn communicate this reasoning to his people. We are to act according to the message of the Bible, yes, but out of our understanding of its commands, not purely because of the commands themselves.
So, what is anxiety? Let’s start with the basics. Anxiety is a sin. As with all other sin, it has roots in both selfishness and arrogance. To understand anxiety, I think we need to understand the nature of trust. Trust, by definition, involves the recognition that someone, or something, has both the authority and the proclivity to aid in our well-being. We trust the elevator because we know it can and will help us reach a destination. We trust our cars because we know they can get us where we want to go. Similarly, we trust God because we recognize His desire and unwavering conviction to enhance our general welfare. Trust is the central building block behind the formation of relationships.
Anxiety stems from the relinquishment of trust. Using the previous examples, those that are anxious in elevators lack the trust in the elevator’s ability. Those who have anxiety when starting their car’s engine don’t trust it’s capability to start. Speaking more broadly, we have anxiety in life when we no longer trust that the God of the universe is capable, or willing, to promote our well-being. Just as a mother worries when handing over her child to a teenage babysitter, we feel anxiety when the bond of trust we have in the Lord is hindered.
The second aspect of anxiety is the self-indulgence of responsibility. We feel anxiety when we feel that we, rather than some other object or person, are ultimately responsible for our well-being. At exam time, college students across the country feel anxiety though the realization that they bear the burden of responsibility for the grades they receive. A public speaker is anxious before stepping to the podium because of the recognition that he alone is responsible for the success of the speech. Again, thinking broadly, this is where the arrogance of anxiety rears its ugly head. A large determinant of the anxiety we feel on a daily basis, anxiety that stems from the important questions in life (“Who will I marry?” “What job should I take?” “Where should I live?”), is the feeling that we are ultimately responsible for the results of these important decisions.
This all leads to the important question, how do we reduce anxiety? I see it as two steps. First, we must recognize that God is ultimately in control of our lives. He has a plan and a purpose for us, and no matter how hard we try, we can’t really screw it up. Second, once we’ve made this important recognition, we must relinquish the control to Him. This means understanding that, as the Bible says, “tomorrow will take care of itself.” I don’t know what God has in store for me today, tomorrow, or any day in the future. However, when I feel that tinge of anxiety start to emerge, I can be comforted in knowing that there is a plan and I do serve a purpose. Remember, he is the Alpha AND the Omega, the beginning and the end. We only lie somewhere in the middle.
Stop worrying.
