Be Anxious for Nothing 2.0

A couple of years ago I wrote a blog about being anxious for nothing. Basically my goal was to elucidate that it is not God’s will for us to live with, put up with or suffer with anxiety in our lives. Anxiety does not have to be something “everyone” lives with nor does it serve any useful purpose in our lives. In its essence anxiety is simply misplaced fear that has not been appropriately addressed and as such tends to resurface at unusual times and places. It is worrying about something when that something is no longer in view. It manifests itself in multiple different ways while common yet displayed uniquely in each individual. The task of 2.0 is to delve deeper into what needs to be done when challenged with anxiety in the various situations of life. Be anxious for nothing 2.0.

There is a great epidemic afoot in the world today namely, letting things go. There are so many distractions available to us today that it becomes easier and easier to move ahead leaving unfinished business behind us. In order for people to live successfully there is an inherent expectation to appropriately handle all of the business that needs to be handled in a day. Each of us is blessed with the same twenty four hour period in order to do whatever it is we need to do. We are never asked to handle tomorrow’s business as tomorrow can handle its own. Sufficient unto the day at hand is the trouble therein. In other words, you and I have enough to handle today without foolishly trying to handle tomorrow’s issues as well. But, make no mistake, we do need to handle the issues and concerns of today. By handling an issue I am referring to the need to address the things that come up in our minds, particularly those things that trouble us or cause stress. Sometimes we feel anxious because there is something we need to take care of or there is something we have been letting go but have been choosing procrastination rather than taking it head on. Sometimes we may have a nagging health concern we are fearfully choosing to ignore. Like my wife always says, it is way better to find out than to sit in endless worry over something. It is what it is, right? Chiefly perhaps, anxiety comes from letting fears linger typically involving things we cannot control. A good rule of thumb is, if you cannot control it anyway why spend any time in consideration of it. No amount of thought time will enable you to control something that you cannot control. But, that extended thought time will give you some unhealthy anxiety.

One thing is needful in our day and time and that is taking whatever time we need in order to get our minds and hearts straight. It is like the old adage about having a rock in your shoe yet mindlessly continuing to walk on it despite the growing pain. Common sense says to stop and figure where the pain is coming from. The same is applicable to our mental states. If something is bothering you persistently you have to do something about it. It will not go away on its own. It will not work itself out. It gets resolved when you resolve it in your mind. Now to be very clear, some things you cannot resolve on your own. The problems you cannot solve on your own are God’s responsibility. The more you engage an issue that you cannot figure out or cannot solve alone, the more power you give that particular issue over your life. If it is bothering you mentally there is always some fear behind it somewhere. The problem with fear is that it is not real, it just feels real. Trying to take on, with your thoughts, something that is not real to begin with, just serves to lead you down empty, pointless trails leading nowhere. You do not resolve a fear. You resolve in your mind what you are going to do about that fear. The best option of course is to give it to God and then leave it with Him. You cast all your cares upon Him because He cares for you. In this instance, taking on the fear means to refuse further consideration of it. Stop running it through your processor and feeling its effects as if it already happened. Much anxiety can be eliminated simply by choosing what not to think. Sometimes you may have valid concerns. You can see or perceive that something is going on that needs to be dealt with. This is what happened to good old Job in the Bible. He was concerned that something negative was going on with his children, but instead of talking to them about it, he chose instead to pray. He lived this way in great fear for some time until that fear manifested itself in his life. The record is there for a good reason, that we may clearly see the horrible results of cleaving to fears in our lives and not choosing rather to deal with things head on.

God has a solution for every problem we have ever had. His care for us is detailed and specific. For this reason, His primary solution to the things that make us anxious is to take time to pray to Him about those things. There is no limit to what He wants to do for us whether large or small and everything in between. Prayer is therefore nothing more than talking things over with Him like you would talk things over with a friend. Lay it all out there, the good, the bad and the ugly. Be breathtakingly honest. And ask Him to teach you what you need to know. Ask Him about everything! He is the one that dreamed up this whole thing we call life and He knows exactly what comes along to interfere with that blessed and peaceful life. His will is that you are anxious for nothing (no thing)! He wants us to live our lives in peace. There is nothing that can come up in this life that He does not already have a solution for – nothing. That is why we do not need to be afraid about whatever it is that is bothering us. We can “take it on” with confidence because we aren’t relying on our own ability that leads to anxiety, but instead His ability that leads ever to beautiful peace, peace. It may not be your habit to deal with the things in your own life, but that is okay. You can learn to address issues in the same way that you learned to try and ignore them. But, make no mistake, you have the sole responsibility to address the issues that affect your life. You have to decide. You’d be surprised how much things can change just by making a decision. Choose to take things on, head on, face to face. Like James found out with the Giant Peach, the things you have been running from are only an illusion. Choose life, your life!

Just some good thoughts…