A Life Without Anxiety and Stress

 We live in a high-stress culture. Worry and anxiety are powerful weapons, which, if we do not treat them on time, can cause great damage to our lives. We are anxious or worried when we face situations in our lives for which we do not see an immediate result and we do not know how to solve them many times, we are worried or anxious about things over which we have no control.

Earlier civilizations had the stress of getting the basics of food and shelter. Our advancements in technology have increased our standard of living and resolved some of those stress factors. However, technology itself has become a source of stress. Has anyone been stressed out over their phone or computer in recent months? Has the bombardment of robocalls and scammers produced any stress in your life?

What would it take for you to stop worrying? Would 10 million dollars be enough money? Would a cure for cancer set your mind at ease? Worry is a common human thing. People worry about their kids or their marriage. They worry about their jobs or people at work. They worry about the world, the future of the nation, or the direction the culture is moving. When we worry, we might feel like we are doing something productive. Wrong! Worrying doesn’t help at all!

As Jesus put it (Matthew 6:27), “Can anyone of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Worrying is not going to change world events, culture, or injustice at work. Worrying is not going to improve your health, fix your relationships, or balance your finances. Worrying is not going to help you solve your problems. It never makes sense to worry! However, we all do!

Jesus says there are two categories of things we tend to worry about. He uses the examples of having enough to eat or drink or having clothes to wear. The first category is things that are important but that we need to trust God to provide, such as food to eat. The second category is things that aren’t important, like having nice clothes to wear. Jesus says not to worry about the things we don’t need—because those are the treasures of the world. If we keep that perspective, it will keep us from worrying about whether we have the “latest and greatest”.

Worry consumes us when we focus on the problems and we lose sight of God and his power. Jesus said we could overwhelm worry only by opening our eyes to the power and goodness of God. Matthew 6:28-30, “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?”

How much did you perceive the goodness of God before you came to church this morning? You rolled out of bed with a unique, reasonably healthy body. The sun came up and warmed the earth. The flowers were blooming, and the birds were singing. Many of us awoke to lovely people around us, even if they were not morning people. You were free to come to church without fear of persecution, and you are in a place where you are loved and supported. God is good.

However, sometimes we don’t pay attention. We need to pay attention to worship every day. In the morning, take the time to pray. Tell your worries to God but do more than that. Praise God for who he is and what he does. Meditate on his goodness and power.

At mealtime, give God more than a nod of thanks. Reflect on the goodness of food, health, and God’s faithful provision for your needs. In the evening, step away from the screen, and take a power walk. Look around at the world, and hum the tune, “He has got the whole world in his hands.”

Regularly, open your Bible to see the greatness of God. Fall in love with the honest worship of the Psalms. Be awed by the providence and plan of God and be amazed at the power shown in the resurrection of Jesus and the life of the early church. Then, before you fall asleep at night, do what 1 Peter 5:7 suggests: “Cast all your anxiety on God because he cares for you.” Reflect on the goodness of God not just on Sunday, but every day.

Jesus offers an answer to the anxiety and concerns we face. This answer is to trust why he is the one who provides for our needs. He offers the solution to the problem of anxiety and concern. Matthew 6:34 “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself…” Jesus is not telling us we should not plan for the future. A wise person saves for emergencies, buys insurance to mitigate loss, and makes plans for retirement and eventual death. Nevertheless, many of the things we worry about will not even happen, or they might not be as much of a disaster as we imagine. Mark Twain said, “I am an old man, and I have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.”

There is no sense in worrying about tomorrow because we don’t know what tomorrow holds. The problem with worry is that we wear ourselves out trying to deal with problems that may not even happen! Jesus tells us instead to concern ourselves with doing what needs to be done today. We’ll deal with it tomorrow when it gets here.

Worry doesn’t accomplish anything. Jesus points out that worrying about dying won’t make you live longer—as a matter of fact, it might do the opposite! Worry doesn’t do anything for us but wear us out. Tomorrow may bring trouble; we don’t know about that. We only know that God will be with us tomorrow, as he is with us today. 

May God bless you and keep and may these words help you renew your spirit.