Anxious Times from John Stuart on Vimeo.
Philippians 4:6-7 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. (NIV)
For some people, anxiety
is a chronic illness which paralyzes them emotionally and exhausts them
physically. They struggle with everyday tasks and try their utmost to combat
feelings of unworthiness and insecurity which riddle their thoughts and tramp
over their hearts. When they try to express what they are enduring, other folks
don’t understand and say trite things like “Don’t worry about it. You’ll get
over it. You can do this.” Instead of helping, it only makes anxiety-sufferers
feel worse; instead of healing them, it hinders their well-being.
Living under the threat of
a pandemic has perhaps given a lot of us a better understanding of what anxious
people experience every single day. We feel lost with no clear sense of
direction. We fear the worst will happen and some of our dreams at night have
become pandemic nightmares. We don’t feel empowered or in control anymore
because this crisis is way bigger than anything we have ever encountered. We feel
inadequate and don’t know when or how this will end. We are experiencing anxiety
and those who know this feeling every day can now say to us, “Welcome to my
world.”
Today’s Bible verses from
Paul may give some hope and reassurance to most of us. We can take these words
and find the right amount of encouragement that we need to endure. When all of
this is over, we may be in a position to thank God for an end to our dilemma,
but our family members and friends who have chronic anxiety may not feel the
same way.
Perhaps, then, if we use
this time of pandemic as a life-teaching moment, we will be more empathetic to
our loved ones who go through this kind of anxiety each day. And instead of
saying trite words to make us feel better, perhaps just a sympathetic nod, a
listening ear, and a more patient heart may offer some real support to them in
the future.
Q: What have I learned
about anxiety during this uncertain time? How may I use this to help others?
Prayer: Lord Jesus,
these are times that try our souls and weary our spirits. We are deeply worried
about the future and very concerned about what is yet to come. Help us to reflect
on our present anxiety and teach us to become aware that this feeling of dread
is what others among us experience every day. Bless them with the strength to
endure and enable us to give them the empathetic support they really need. In
Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment