For all you sufferers of Anxiety out there, I’m sure you have heard enough to, “Just let it go!” But it’s not that easy, is it? Even in Scripture we are told, “Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink or about your body, what you will wear.” Matthew 6:25 But there is a way to get over those things that make us anxious, that make us crazy sometimes on a daily basis. It’s about reading the rest of the story. To simply “GET RID” of anxiety is not like turning off a switch and it’s gone, so then how do we stop being anxious? Let’s read some more of the passage: “Look at the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying? And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these! If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t He do much more for you – you of little faith? Matthew 6;26-30 I did a little experiment. Times when I feel stressed, I take my blood pressure, always it’s high. So, I sit back and think thoughts of peace, letting the joy of the Lord overflow in me. I think of the birds of the air, and the flowers that God has given us for beauty and other reasons. I realize that He cares so much for me, much more than those things that are temporary, so the things that make me stressed, I let go to Him. I ask Him to take them away, to let me rest. Always after resting, I feel better, with less or no anxiety, my blood pressure has returned to normal, and my thoughts are on the Lord, not on my circumstances. Now here’s another kicker! I don’t always do that! Sometimes, I seem to want to stay in my anxiety. Sometimes I want to be mad; sometimes I don’t want to go back to normal. Anxiety has been replaced by stubbornness. It has allowed anger to settle in to the places in my mind that want to go to the Lord. I realize that, and I realize that God is the One who will unlock the hold on me by the adversary, if I surrender all to Him. You see, I can recognize that I don’t have it all together all the time. But I know who does – Jesus. And He has given us His Spirit to remain in us, so that we don’t have to settle for less. We don’t have to be stressed out over everything, but in everything we can give thanks to the One who holds the very stars in His hands. I know we are by nature stubborn, but don’t you think it’s time we surrendered even the stubbornness of our hearts to the Lord? It’s healthier, and the peace that passes all understanding, is so much more enjoyable living than the anxiety that we allow so freely to permeate our lives. So today, let’s not just “GET RID” of anxiety, let’s replace it with the love of the Lord, and the grace that is ours for the asking. Let’s let our hearts sing with the joy of the Lord, and watch how great the day will become. Watch the birds!
Barnabas Man 