When Anxiety Takes Over

Our family just got back from the beach. It can be such a peaceful place as long as you don’t bring little children with you! (I hope you mama’s with little ones are “Amen-ing” that right now.) All jokes aside, I do love going to the beach and I do enjoy watching my babies build sandcastles, look for seashells, hunt for crabs, and attempt to boogie board over the waves. As fun as family vacations can be, I probably wouldn’t use the word “peaceful” to describe them.

When I think of the word peace, my mind immediately runs to this beautiful, tropical, deserted island full of white sand, surrounded by clear waters with a turquoise undertone. The sun is shining but it’s not too hot. The only noise that I hear is the gentle water hitting the sand, the cool breeze blowing through the palm trees that are providing me with just enough shade. I can just imagine the calm, blissfulness surrounding me. I’m laughing a little bit on the inside as I am typing this out, because I don’t ever use words like “blissfulness,” but it sounds good for now! Imagine that you are on this island that I just described, and someone told you that a tropical storm or hurricane was about to hit in the next thirty minutes. I’m thinking panic would immediately set in, along with fear, anxiousness, nervousness, and worry. Now let’s say the storm never hits; but hours, days, and weeks go by, and you are still living with a constant worry and fear about the storm. That is how I picture anxiety. I know people experience different levels of anxiety, some being way more serious than others. But overall, anxiety can take over everything and begin to rule your life. Even Proverbs 12:25 tells us that “anxiety in a man (or woman’s) heart weighs him down.” If you deal with anxiety often, you know it feels like you have a weight upon you that keeps you from being able to get up and function normally.

Anxiety is the opposite of peace. Anxiety leaves us with a persistent fear, worry, nervousness, and uneasiness. Our minds and thoughts are unsettled. Anxiety takes over our bodies, thoughts, emotions, and minds, leaving no room for peace. Anxiety says, “fear wins!” When in reality, the enemy is saying, “I win!” Don’t forget there is a spiritual battle all around you that you can’t see.

You may feel anxiety from stress, a mental or physical need or condition, a family or job situation, or something else could be at the root. There are many outlets that so many of us turn too in order to “fix” our anxiety but ultimately those outlets never truly satisfy. They can’t actually fix the problem when it comes to anxiety. So why do we continually run to those things over and over again to get a quick fix to numb the fear and panic we feel? Sister, if we truly believe that Jesus gives us peace, why are we not running to Him with our fears?

Now earlier I described the kind of peace concerning a place of tranquility, but God speaks of a perfect peace that can only come from Him. He speaks of a peace that can completely remove the anxiety that you may feel on a daily basis. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Some of you are questioning how you aren’t supposed to be fearful when dealing with cancer, or an incurable illness, or a job that is on the line, or you have to make a life altering decision. This is when faith comes in. To truly believe that God has our best interest at heart.

You see, God speaks of a peace that only He can provide, even when we go through the storms of this life. He doesn’t only provide a peace during the good times in our lives, but during the midst of the difficult times. Our job is to trust Him completely with all of our being. When we trust him, we can let go of the anxiety, worry, and fear. Why choose to hold on to that weight, when we can be free of that? There is a quote that I love; “We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds tomorrow.” We can all plan our days, but in reality we don’t actually know what each day will bring. Thankfully we serve a God who does know. Even in the book of Matthew, he tells us “not to be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” Jesus is telling us to live each day with your mind kept on Him, and you will have that peace you need to get through each day. Worry is a lack of trust. Sister, whatever is making you anxious, I truly encourage you to give those fears over to the One who will give you a perfect peace and freedom.

“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? 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? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his life span? And why are you anxious about clothing? consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like on of these. 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? Therefore do not be anxious saying, what shall we eat, or what shall we drink? or what shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all of these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all of these things will be added to you. 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