Stressin’ or Restin’?
Do Not Be Anxious…
S - Scripture
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. ~matthew 6: 25-34~
O - Observation
i get confused at times between worrying and anxiety and if they are interchangeable or that is fundamentally wrong. here is a great, quick explanation i found online from luana marques, phd:
worry is a component of anxiety symptoms
anxiety has three main components: emotional, physiological, and cognitive.
imagine you have a presentation coming up at work. you might notice feelings of fear and dread, two examples of the emotional component. you may also notice bodily sensations, such as heart palpitations, sweating, or a tightness in your stomach, which represent the physiological component. finally, you might be thinking, "i can't do it," or "i'm going to embarrass myself." worries and negative thoughts like these about what might happen in the future are the cognitive component. so, while worry is an important part of anxiety, it is only one of the three main building blocks. ~harvard health publishing~
general description of anxiety:
anxiety is a feeling of worry, fear, or nervousness that everyone experiences from time to time. it’s like that uneasy feeling you get before a big test or job interview. in these situations, anxiety is a normal response—your body’s way of preparing you to deal with a challenge. and for most people, these feelings disappear once the stressful life events end. ~relief mental health~ (the science of anxiety)
what happens to your body from anxiety?
taken from healthline.com:
An excessive or persistent state of anxiety can have a devastating effect on your physical and mental health.
central nervous system - long-term exposure to stress hormones, like cortisol, can contribute to weight gain.
cardiovascular system - rapid heart rate, palpitations, and chest pain; may also be at an increased risk of high blood pressure and heart disease.
excretory and digestive systems - stomachaches, nausea, diarrhea, and other digestive issues; loss of appetite can also occur.
immune system - if you experience chronic stress, your body never gets the signal to return to regular functioning; this can weaken your immune system.
respiratory system - causes rapid, shallow breathing; you may be at an increased risk of hospitalization from anxiety-related complications.
here are some root causes of anxiety:
health, money, school, work, or family - ~national institute of mental health~
specific fears, trauma, stress, upsetting situations, social media, medications, drugs - ~goodrx~
i can’t say i’ve suffered, to any great degree, with anxiety throughout my life. perhaps symptoms and part of, but not full blown episodes to where it had taken over my life and became a problem, or that they became disorders as both these and other medical sites refer to and depending on what you’re going through.
it’s probably safe to say that everyone goes through some type of challenge and any point of their lives - bad illness, not making ends meet, loss of a family member, etc. the more severe the situation, the likelihood that person is going to feel anxious, sometimes to the point of despair. if one stays there it can be life-threatening, for themselves and even to others.
what i admit to is that i have had times where i had been down on myself for short periods of time because i failed to take care of my family, wondered if i would ever get out of the situation i got me/us in, and whether i/we would get through those difficult times. depression, combined with illegal drug use, for an extended time (around 6 months bender) when my mom died was probably the longest period. these are real life events, the struggle is real.
A - Application
in these verses, we are taught and asked the following (paraphrased loosely):
is life really about our body - what we are going to eat, drink, and wear; is that what we feel is important and that we need to focus all of our attention on? as some would say, is this all we think about every (all) day? it’s not to say that people around the world don’t have these concerns as there are many people who are struggling, some seriously, to have enough of or even something to eat or drink. for clothing, some worry about how they/we look when there are people who wish they had more than what they have on.
with how blessed i have been, that we are, how can i be so concerned about these things that it consumes my mind? in the past i didn’t really address the underlying issues that led me to feel that way - poor choices, irrational decisions, lack of “counting the cost” and fully thinking things through, and the biggest one - not praying about and asking God for help and guidance of The Holy Spirit. without Jesus’ being in the center of the decision making process, i tried to make (force) whatever situation i was facing to the outcome i was expecting; this had led to costly mistakes and mishaps, all leading to my family suffering for it.
fortunately, in verses 33 & 34, we are taught to seek God, His Kingdom, His Righteousness (living in right relationship with God other people and all creation), and all will be added to you/us. to better understand this, here’s a commentary from Bibleref.com:
too often, Jesus' words here have been ripped out of that context and used to suggest that God will supply endless material blessings if His children seek Him first. that is not, at all, the meaning of this sentence.
the context of "these things" are the basic needs of life: food and clothing. Jesus has commanded His readers not to live in continually worry about how they will obtain those, even if they don't know where the next meal is coming from. He wants them to trust the heavenly Father to provide what is needed for His children because He values them so greatly.
to seek God's kingdom and His righteousness means to live in that ongoing repentance from sin, and to lead the kind of sincere, from-the-heart, devoted-to-God lifestyles Jesus has been describing. in response, God will make provision for whatever it is we truly "need" in order to accomplish His will.
other verses to “learn and meditate on” to help you overcome the anxiousness, the fear, the stress, and uneasiness:
in peace i will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety. ~psalm 4:8~
there remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from His. ~hebrews 4:9-10~
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. ~isaiah 26:3~
do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ~philippians 4:6-7~
we are taught that we should trust in God/Jesus and that we will find rest in Him if we do so. what has been pivotal for me is actually doing just that roughly 20 years ago after i truly surrendered my life to Christ and gave up my worldly ways (still working this part out in my life). no longer needing drugs to cope or push through; not wanting only money/wealth, as material things are not as desirable. to help address the 3 components of anxiety (emotional, physiological, and cognitive) we read earlier - i incorporated working out or training to stay healthier (physical), reading/watching/teaching to grow (mental), getting into the word and devotions to arm myself (spiritual); while the emotional would seem to be neglected, i believe doing the 3 and including prayer, life groups, and serving others have helped to keep that part of my life in check.
P - Prayer
dear Heavenly Father, we are so fortunate that we can come to you no matter what we are dealing with; that you don’t hold it against us when we make mistakes, forget to seek you first, trust you in all things, and that you keep coming for us as the loving Father to the prodigal son. teach us all to not get stressed out about whatever we are going through and to simply trust in You implicitly. help us to come to you in prayer, taking time to clear our hearts and minds, waiting on you patiently, and holding on to the truth that you love us, are walking alongside us, and your peace rests on us. i genuinely find comfort in knowing that you do, always. in Jesus’ loving and wonderful name i pray, amen!
#anxiety, #worry, #fear, #doubt, #anxious