Anxiety. That feeling of worry, fear, and unease is on the rise. More people are starting to admit to feeling increased levels of anxiety. I hear this from Believers and unbelievers, the old and the young, no matter their station in life. Many accept anxiety as a normal way of life, but is that true? My experience says no; I used to suffer from anxiety, and I was cured not with drugs or any kooky behaviour.
I had a debilitating kind of anxiety. I’m talking about the kind where your chest tightens, and when you’re first awake in the morning, your heart drops with an ominous feeling—which you can’t quite put a finger on. You just assume you’re walking on a tightrope, and it is going to be a crappy day. It was all up to me to head off an imagined, impending disaster.
Once, I ended up in a medical emergency room, thinking I had had a heart attack. Another time, intense pain in my jawline led me to see my dentist; I thought I needed emergency dental work. Thankfully, nothing was wrong with my teeth, and I was prescribed a mouth guard to prevent me from clenching them. The mouth guard eventually distorted my teeth, causing me to require braces!
All this scurrying around continued until God figuratively stuck His foot out, causing me to trip over it. Then He got me up and straightened me out.
The bottom line was that my feeling of anxiety was due to my way of thinking. I had a couple of thoughts that were off-base, not true, or out of alignment with Christ. I’ll share one of those thoughts and the antidote with you. Maybe it resonates with you and points you to your deliverance.
MY MIND’S RESTING PLACE
An area of my thought life that Christ helped me to change was the resting position of my mind. The resting position is the first place my mind goes when something happens. This is the first place my mind goes when I wake up, hear some news, meet someone, interact in a meeting or discussion, or get a break and am about to figure out w
hat’s next.
Have you thought about where your mind’s resting position is?
My mind’s resting place was myself.
I was central to my thoughts, in the middle. I had to think about my practical needs, to-do lists, relationships, and future. I was the consummate planner of all and everything that could affect me. Of course, as a “good Christian,” I added God to my plans.
The problem was I was in the middle of coordinating my life. I had to allocate the right resources to these different buckets. I felt if I extricated myself, even for a brief moment, my life would fall apart. This juggling created tonnes of anxiety! I was central, so I had to know everything to be strong and resilient. I leaned into myself, my strength to be self-reliant, self-protective, and self-preserving. Handling all this traffic in my mind and thoughts was exhausting and created additional problems. I had little time left over to rest. Truly rest.
Until God knocked me off this ridiculous merry-go-round and pointed out He really meant it when He said, “Come unto Me…and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
He showed me some of my crazy thoughts and set me straight. As a Christian, I knew I should seek Him first, and I thought I was putting Him first. But “first means first,” not “first in addition to.” He is to be first and center, and when I agreed with Him, He enabled me to place Him in the center. I found this to be one of the antidotes to my anxiety: make Christ my resting place—not just add Him to my plans—but to die to myself and allow Him to live through me.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GOD IS IN THE MIDDLE?
Christ in the middle was the beginning of a life of peace, joy, and contentment. He oversees the traffic and directs the what, when, and where of my life.
With Him being central, all my needs and concerns are filtered through Him. I’m learning to stay connected to Him as the demands of life are constantly changing and anything can happen quickly without warning. I began to understand the meaning of “pray without ceasing” because I had to be in constant contact with Christ for outgoing and incoming traffic.
He doesn’t give me anything too heavy because His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Matthew 11:29. However, He gives me appropriate challenges and tests to pick up my cross, which is not meant for me to fail but to strengthen me to do His will. Matthew 16:24
I’m less likely to see people as problems than as opportunities for God’s will—to love them and work out my salvation.
With Christ in the middle, my new attitude is that nothing hits me directly; everything goes through Him. Therein lies the confidence and sense of adventure. What comes to me must have gone through Him, so I rest in His wisdom, provision, and control because He is the one Who has the capacity to do this. Christ is the God of gods and King of kings. The gods of this world, rulers, principalities, and powers are subservient to Him. My Father is in control, so I don’t need to be.
I meditate and focus on the right priorities. I slow down to think about what I am thinking. I inspect my thoughts alongside the Word of God and, with His help, follow His Word. I have fewer thoughts running through my mind because I focus deeper on higher priorities: the Two Commandments—love God and love others. This habit also improves my prayer life. When I filter everything through Christ, what I ask for should align with His desires.
Philippians 4:6-7 used to be my life verse, and for years, I recited it with longing, but it was elusive until now. Every word of God is true! It is possible to live Philippians 4:6-7.
My mind’s resting place is now Christ. This is not a brag, and I’m not trying to sound super spiritual, but I remember my former life. I am hanging onto Him as I am terrified of returning there! I’m beginning to appreciate God’s wisdom in having us go through the trials of earthly life—when we do, we are less apt to disobey Him again.
DEFINITIONS FROM THE INTERNET
Anxiety is a feeling of fear, worry, or unease. It can occur as a reaction to stress, but it can also happen without any obvious trigger.
Stress is any demand placed on your brain or physical body. Any event or scenario that makes you feel frustrated or nervous can trigger it.
Fear is an emotional response to a known or real danger, while anxiety is a longer-lasting stress response to an unknown or unclear threat.
BIBLE VERSES TO COUNTER ANXIETY
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts an
d minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33
Contact Jennifer at [email protected]. Jennifer is a software specialist, who offers coaching and mentoring services to software consultants. Her book, The Two Kingdoms, is available on Amazon.com.
