Don't be anxious!

 

             Something I keep reminding myself of is, there are no coincidences. Everything really does happen for a reason!  For example, last night, I listened to a Fireside Chat with Dennis Prager, and the very first thing he talked about was the power of habit, and it convicted me that I need to make this blog a habit. That will have much more impact than me posting 10 posts at once. It was just what I needed to hear.

            That said, I would say, it’s no coincidence that I’m working on mental health issues at the same time that pretty much everyone in the world is thanks to COVID. So, that will be part of my blog. I mean, we’re complicated creatures, people are. We are physical, and spiritual, and emotional/psychological beings. All of those parts interweave with each other, or affect each other. So, you have to address all three if you want to be HEALTHY.

            Currently, I’m working on my anxiety. Well, I would say, it’s tricky, my symptoms for mania and anxiety are very similar. But, I don’t think I’m manic right now. If I’m manic, I feel like I don’t need sleep, but right now I just haven’t had enough sleep and feel tired and sluggish, not energized. So, I’m ruling out mania.

            So, how do you deal with anxiety, anyway?  I mean, we all have it, that’s for sure. And if you’re following this blog and realizing where we are in redemptive history and wondering how soon the scary stuff is going to happen, well, you may have some anxiety as well. I get anxious when I do silly things like google FEMA camps and coffins and guillotines. I really shouldn’t do it, but I want to know, is it so, is it so? And then I know, yes it’s so, yes it’s so. And then I think, oh no, oh no, oh no.

            So, different things make us anxious.  Oh yeah, the other thing that makes me anxious is food storage. I don’t have any, which is not wise, I recommend you get some, and get extra so you can share with me one day, I’m telling you now. I can’t say how much. People say different amounts, 3 weeks, 3 months, as long as possible? If you’re here 7 years and can’t buy or sell (it’s not going to be long before they’ll require the vaccine for employment, or going to the store, they’ll shut us out of life soon), you’re going to be hungry. Think Hunger Games. I’m going to get things to grow potatoes, and I’ll live off potatoes if I need to. Hopefully, Jesus will yank me away soon, actually. What I know about the rapture though is, most people, including Christians, are left behind. I’m praying that I’ll be worthy.

            Matthew 6:25-34

English Standard Version

Do Not Be Anxious

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?^[a] 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.

               Well, there you go, Jesus has some words for people like me who get anxious over things I cannot control! We all have this illusion of control, until life happens and we realize, oh. Gotta let that  go. Gotta trust the Lord with that. God is in control, He is Sovereign, and He is always with us, even in the valley of the shadow of death! (FEMA camp!) God will provide all my needs! (I don’t need a ton of food anyway, I’m trying to lose weight, the meds they put me on really hurt my diet and waistline…)

            Seriously though, Jesus repeats “Do not be anxious,” THREE TIMES in these verses. If it’s repeated a bunch, it’s important, pay attention.

            In King James, it says, “Take no thought.” I kind of like that as well. If you take something, you choose to pick it up. So you can also choose to not pick it up.  To not pick up that worry.  To not google things that disturb you (bi-polar people like to connect the dots a lot, and I am really bad about trying to connect dots all over the place.)

            But, we’re going to take something, though. We’re going to have things going through our mind. Jesus says, no worries, no anxieties, but how do we achieve that?  Well, by filling our mind with the opposite, of course! Instead of a worry, how about meditating on a promise of God instead? That will bring peace to your heart and mind.

            Meditating and memorizing God’s promises in His Word is exactly how you can combat your natural tendency toward anxiety.

            Now, some people have clinical anxiety, though, chemical imbalance in their brain and body, they need more help, they need the right medication. And, there are things you can do to help control your anxiety via lifestyle as well – exercise and walk, eat healthy, get enough sleep (the golden sleep number is 8 hours). But, I would say, start memorizing some favorite verses, maybe a favorite Psalm! You don’t have to start out memorizing a whole book, (although the way to do it is memorize one verse at a time) but, start stuffing God’s promises deep into your heart, so you’ll have them wherever life takes you, and they can transform you as you ingest them. Seriously, God’s word is going to change you. Remember, it’s powerful like a two edged sword, and it does not come back void. It accomplishes what God intends for it to accomplish. So much hinges on our knowledge of God’s promises! So we really need to be more diligent to memorize His word, and meditate on it, reflect on it continuously, let it ooze over our minds. Would much rather God’s promises ooze over my mind than all the worries/anxieties I’m tempted to take!

            Okay my computer battery went out hours ago and I had to let it re-charge, and now I don’t remember what all was on my brain, so I’ll have to continue about anxiety again in another post. I need patience with my computer, and I’d like maybe  a new battery or something for it so it doesn’t die after such a short time… but guess who’s not going to be anxious about it?  God will provide my needs, and He actually may think my need is less screen time. So with that thought, I’m posting and getting off!