Anxiety, worry, and depression are becoming a big problem in our world today. In my job, I talk to people every day who are dealing with these. Sometimes it is my patients and sometimes it is my coworkers. At times, we all worry about something, but it is getting more common. We look at all the perfect lives on social media and we begin to compare ourselves to everyone else and begin to believe that I am not good enough.
We compare our worst and our mistakes against the best (and often “fake best”) of others. We all, to some extent, put up a fake front. We try to make things appear better than they are. We don’t want people to know that we are broke. We don’t want people to know that our relationships are struggling. We don’t want people to see what is going on inside of us. The internal pain, disappointment, fear, or worry that we carry around all day is tearing us apart on the inside and we don’t want anyone else to see that. “I’m o.k.”, we tell our co-workers as we head off to a private spot to cry.
Maybe your life really is “o.k.” and you don’t have the anxiety issues. There are times when we all struggle with worry to some extent. When those unexpected expenses come up, we wonder how we are going to pay the bills. As we get older, we start to look at the economy and our retirement funds and wonder if we are ever going to be able to retire. As the inflation rate continues to rise faster than our pay increases, we begin to wonder how long before we are going to be struggling to pay the bills and buy food. How many jobs can I work to be able to maintain a comfortable standard of living?
“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 labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor 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?”
Matthew 6: 25-30
“You of little faith.” Yes, that is the source of our worry and anxiety. A lack of faith in God. Every time I find myself feeling anxious about something it is because I am trying to solve a problem on my own. “How am I going to pay for that?” “How am I supposed to get all of this work done?” We need a new fence, or a new car, or maybe we had some major unexpected expenses and I don’t know how I am going to pay rent this month. I can spend hours and open up another spreadsheet and run all the numbers trying to make things work. I try to figure out the solution to all of my problems on my own and when I am frustrated and feeling anxious, then, maybe, I take some time to pray about it. “When all else fails, pray.” I have heard that quote and seen that quote on wall decorations. Prayer should be the first thing, not the last resort.
When I was single and did not have my own family to take care of, it was much easier. When I made the decision to go back to school and get my nursing degree, there were times I could not work very much because school was taking so much of my time. I was living on my own and I knew my parents were not able to help me much. I think mostly I just did not want to ask for help and I knew I could get through it. After all, I was in the situation because of the choices I had made. I trusted that I was following the direction God wanted me to go and that God would take care of me. I cannot count the number of times God provided for me. There was no other explanation for it. I always had just enough to eat and just enough to pay the bills.
Now that I am a husband and father, for some reason, my mindset has shifted. Now it is my responsibility to take care of my family. It is my responsibility to provide food, clothes, and shelter. It is my responsibility to make sure their needs are met. That part isn’t too difficult, most of the time. It is all the other extra things and activities, the vacations, and my hobbies, and all the other parts of life that I get caught up in that start to become difficult and begin to bring on some anxiety and worry. I believe it is all up to me to make these things happen. One of the things my dad always taught me is that if I am doing what I honestly believe God is calling me to do, there will always be enough resources to do it. We will always have enough.
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.”
Matthew 6: 31-32
We always did. We always had plenty to eat and a good place to live. We always had just enough to live and enjoy life. We didn’t have everything we wanted, but we had everything we needed and a little more. My family was always involved in serving the church. Our lives were centered around church activities. As our lives become too busy to get involved at church, our focus begins to shift to what is best for me. What do I want out of life? Even at church, the “what’s in it for me” mindset has begun to overtake the “what can I do for you” mindset. Jesus says he did not come to be served, but to serve.
As our mindset shifts away from serving God and his people and toward serving ourselves, the anxiety and worry in our world is growing at an alarming rate.
Jesus provides the answer. Yes, it really is that simple, yet it is very difficult. We are on this “pursuit of happiness,” and we look everywhere except Jesus. For whatever reason, we do not want that to be the answer. We see people with leadership roles in the churches do things they should not be doing and think that church is not the answer and we avoid church. You are right. Church is not the answer. Church is a bunch of people coming together in search of the answer and supporting each other on the journey. Just like every other part of life, there are people in church who are going to fail because they fail to put God first. While church is an important part of the process, it is not the answer. The answer is in Jesus. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Not everything we’ve ever dreamed of or wanted. But, everything we need, God will provide. When our focus is on the kingdom of God and his righteousness, it does not matter if my life looks as good as everyone else. It doesn’t matter if I have all the latest fashions and gadgets. If my focus is on the kingdom of God, he will provide everything that I need.
The pursuit of happiness is the pursuit of God.
“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.”
Matthew 6: 33-34
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