By Ann Weaver.
What will my parents think of me if I don’t get straight As? Is she avoiding me after I told her my honest opinion? Is my story good enough for people to read? Will this dress look good on me? What if I mess up my piano solo? Is my painting good enough to enter in the contest? What if I can’t pass my exams?
Anxiety invades from all sides. It runs rampant throughout schools, work environments, and family life. In the modern day, it seems like everyone has some kind of anxiety, and there are hundreds of websites, therapists, and support groups trying to deal with the problem.
There have been many modern elements that further anxiety, both the real issue and the mere idea of it. Doctors constantly hand out anxiety medications or tell people to consult a therapist about it.
I think the root to this problem is two things: a heightened focus on self, and a decision to dwell the stress and worry.
For example, let’s go back to our first paragraph. Boiling down each question, they're really asking this: What will people think of me if I fail or make a mistake? What will people think of me if I look or sound ugly, strange, or embarrassing? What if people think my project or work is stupid or uninteresting?
Do you see the problem? In every question, we are thinking solely of ourselves.
In addition, when we persist in the same troubled thoughts for too long, worry becomes anxiety. For instance, feeling nervous about playing the solo in a concert is completely normal. But when that becomes all you think about, day and night, anxiety creeps in. And when that happens, you suddenly can’t think about anything else.
Anxiety is tough. No one wants to be anxious. After all, all medications and therapists for anxiety exist because people are trying to get rid of it. But in the end, we have to look at our goal.
We shouldn't only be trying to eliminate anxiety, but also obtain its opposite.
Peace.
Philippians 4:6 tells us to “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” The next verse follows with a promise: “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
We should be carrying our worries and anxieties to Jesus. When we do, He will give us comfort, and help us through any difficulty we have. In John 14:1, Jesus says, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.” The cure to anxiety is trusting in the Lord!
Though anxiety can be heavy, we need to cast our cares upon Him. It’s the only way to get peace. Throughout every circumstance, we should take our eyes away from ourselves, fixing our eyes on Jesus throughout all our anxieties and remembering what He says in John 16:33: “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
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