PASTOR’S CORNER, Rusty Husted, First United Methodist Church, Liberal

Lately, I have been thinking about anxiety. I have been contemplating the effects of anxiety in our culture. Not just our Western culture, but the culture of Christians in the Church. It comes as no shock that there is a lot of anxiety in the air.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, anxiety is “an abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often marked by physical signs (such as tension, sweating, and increased pulse rate), by doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat, and by self-doubt about one's capacity to cope with it”. Anxiety is felt as worried, nervousness, and unease about a situation or relationship. Anxiety triggers our “fight or flight” reflex. Ultimately, anxiety can lead to depression. Anxiety influences our work, family, and church, basically anytime we are in a group setting, anxiety will influence these settings.

Dealing with anxiety can seem overwhelming which causes more anxiety. Feelings of being good enough, smart enough, faithful enough, wealthy enough, patriotic enough, and perfect enough are some examples that live in our day-to-day lives. These thoughts and situations are perfect for our culture to keep you away from God. The Pharmaceutical Industry is making a killing off our anxiety. Thank of all the money spent on drugs that help with depression and anxiety. In recent studies, according to Google, in the U.S., 13% of people ages 12 and up experience depression and it jumps up to 40% among ages 12-18. It seems like our culture wants us to live constantly in an anxious state of mind. Bullies thrive off people’s anxiety and our culture is full of bullies. In my opinion, those who thrive off anxiety are people who believe “survival of the fittest.” They want you to stay in fear so that they can make themselves feel superior and hold people as slaves.

I wonder how many Christians live with anxiety in their relationship with God? “Am I good enough”, “am I faithful enough”, “have I done enough”? These types of questions plague our relationship with God. We are under the impression that God has a standard and if you don’t live up to that standard then God is going to throw you in hell. That is the real fear that we have; what happens when I die??? Will I get to go to heaven or hell? I have seen billboards that say, “do you know where you are going when you die?” It’s no wonder that non-Christians think that God is an angry god who is oppressive and wants to keep us under his thumb. This is not the God who is characterized in Scripture.

First, I want to state that salvation is not about heaven or hell, it is about transformation. We humans are sick with sin and God has the cure if we just trust (faith) in Him for that cure. Sin enslaves us and pushes us down. Sin keeps us anxious and depressed so that our focus is on ourselves rather than on God who loves us. Notice I said that salvation is about transformation. God does not hold us to a standard, but He does give us a vocation to be His Children. To be God’s Child is to have a desire to live a certain lifestyle. We don’t throw off sin to earn God’s love, but we throw off sin because we are tired of sin controlling our lives. So being anxious about what happens when we die, was never a concept that God wanted us to carry. Let God handle what happens in the future. Focus on your present relationship with God. Focus on Love, not heaven or hell.

Second, what does Scripture say about anxiety? 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” Matthew 6:25-34 is all about our worries and how God, as a Father, cares for us. Verses 33 & 34 state this, “But strive first for the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Philippians 4:6-7, Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Isaiah 41:10, “Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.”

Scriptures like these are found all throughout the Bible. This is God’s Word asking us, begging us to let God take care of you. Put the responsibility of your life in God’s hands. He is asking for it, He wants it. This is LOVE that God wants to take care of you. Don’t let the evil one hold you in slavery and tell you lies about what God requires. Instead as Jesus said, focus on the Kingdom of God and your relationship with Him. Focus on surrendering your life to the One who Loves you with His whole heart. This does not mean I am against mental health medicine, I am absolutely in favor for medical help, but ultimately the cure for anxiety, the cure for your life, is focusing our hearts and minds on the God who loves us and wants what is best for us. Trust that, put your faith in that truth and remember God is with you no matter what you are going through and He is already in the future planning the best things for you if you but believe.