Most of us have encountered days when there just seems a lot to fret about, and there is a lot weighing on our minds. Others may tell us to stop worrying about it, or we ourselves may try to stop it but we can’t control the anxiety that overcomes us.
Have you read the Little House on the Prairie? The Ingalls family are pioneers who started life in the middle of nowhere in the Midwest. They had very little and led very simple lives but were happy and content.
As my family and myself try to navigate through life’s various problematic situations, we are trying to cultivate this peace and contentment for ourselves, and some of the following have been helpful for us.
1. Cultivate Contentment
Trusting in God and waiting for Him is a recurring theme from Psalms 36-60. Reading through these verses can remind us to be patient and to have more faith in the Lord (for example Ps 42:5).
Psalm 42:5
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
Isaiah 55:2 is very relevant to our daily life concerns as well - “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.” There will come a point in time that spending money to buy treats or having retail therapy will not satisfy. Let us seek after the things that feed our soul instead, that gives us true contentment.
The pursuit of educational qualifications is popular in our society. It is very competitive in our schools and we can see that students face a lot of pressure and stress to study harder and harder to attain various goals and achievements. It is good to be a diligent student. When we work hard in all that we do, we show a commendable Christian attitude. However, we can fulfil our role as a good student without relentlessly pursuing such goals because our aim in life on earth is not these.
Solomon himself was wealthy and wise beyond words and seemingly lacked nothing (1 Kings 4:29-34). Yet he still felt empty with only physical riches and wisdom. He realised he still needed to feed his soul. Towards the later part of his life, he was reflective and penned Ecclesiastes, where we can learn from his hindsight what should be our focus in life. He emphasized throughout the book of many pursuits being in vain, and finally said the overall conclusion is to “fear God and keep His commandments” (Eccl 12:13-14) where the word “fear” here refers to love and respect.
2. Take our minds off the worries
Start by listing down our fears and worries. Then reassure ourselves that God’s power is great, greater than our list of problems. Then we list our blessings too: How has God watched over us and guided us and blessed us?
During the pandemic, there were a lot of online seminars and talks organised to help people to build resilience, strengthen emotional and mental health and find peace. I noticed a lot of workshops and talks included “Mindfulness” to help us during times of anxiety and uncertainty. I read up on several and attended others, and realised that a lot of what was shared is also Biblical wisdom.
God’s word already contains such advice for us to deal with our life’s problems. For example, mindfulness attempts to detach ourselves from anxiety-provoking thoughts. We can get this from a structured quiet time set aside to read and meditate on God’s word daily. Other experts and workshops advocated deep breathing and positive thinking and journaling. I find that copying down Bible verses into a journal combines all these. I am calmer, I breathe better, I get more oxygen, become more relaxed and try to focus on God’s words that comfort and motivate me. It is also very helpful to pen down positive thoughts and encouraging messages in the same journal, together with the fears and worries and blessings mentioned above (like your own daily bible devotion).
3. Find Hope, in God’s word
Next, search the Bible for consolation and hope.
In secular sources, hope is much-celebrated as well. It is even viewed as a protective factor against the formation of chronic anxiety problems or disorders. Research studies have shown that hope correlates significantly and negatively with anxiety. Michael (2000) conducted research and concluded that with hope in our lives, we can be protected against vulnerable, uncontrollable and unpredictable feelings. From the Bible, from Psalms, to Isaiah and Jeremiah, to the New Testament, we can find hope from many verses. One of them is Romans 15: 4.
4. Talk to Someone – God and a Support Network of Christian Friends
We talk to God in prayer, for peace and comfort (Philippians 4:6-7).
Besides praying for ourselves, ask our friends to pray for us too. Also, keep the cards and encouraging messages friends sent in the journal to motivate yourself. Know that your support network cares and will always be there for you.
Scientific research also came up with many ways and therapies to help. One of them, LeDoux and Gorman (2001) suggest an active coping strategy to engage alternative pathways to replace passive fear responses. Shifting from passive to active coping is a neurological equivalent of “getting on with life.” This approach helps patients develop strategies that enable them to “do something” (not difficult tasks but relaxing ones) whenever they are entertaining dysphoric thoughts or are avoiding necessary or meaningful activities. We see this as similar to what we do as Christians. We have a habit and routine of worshiping God every Sunday, attending Bible classes a couple of times weekly, joining fellowship and other activities whenever possible. When something strikes and we feel downcast or unwell, striving to get back into routine helps us resume some kind of normalcy. Even if we have not fully resolved whatever problems that are plaguing us, we can derive support and strength to cope through these routines and habits and the support network of our Christian friends.
5. Stay Grounded and Humble, Knowing We Are Just Stewards
I would like to use the following verse to sum up everything. My father shared this verse with my kids, Paul and I before and there was a lot that struck us in his sharing. It can be a whole lecture series on its own but let me just highlight a few points.
Job 1:21
And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
We all arrived naked, without fine linen, or riches. We will all return naked as well. It is a humble leveller and a reminder to be grounded like Job. In times of adversity, to remember all that we have on earth is transient and everything is in God’s hands.
At this point where Job said this, he was not aware how or why he suffered all that he was afflicted with. Yet, he did not need to search for the reasons or explanations, he was at peace with what had happened because he knew he arrived on earth without anything anyway.
We can also meditate on the words “the Lord gave”. All the good things we enjoy so far, we have been blessed with. That is why in point 2 above, we try to count our blessings. We can think of 3 things to be thankful for everyday, for example. This helps us to be humble since we know what we have was gifted to us.
Just as there is no reason to boast about our riches, there is no need to unduly worry about our problems too. Job had exceeding wealth and a wonderful family. To lose it all and still remember to bless the name of the Lord – this attitude is definitely what we can learn from. He has shown that he will serve God no matter what, not only when God is good to him. We will serve God regardless of the blessings we receive.
Job also made his stand against fear and did not give in to panic when everything happened. He did not despair, continued to trust in God and stayed committed to Him.
Let us too cast away our cares and not forget to go to our compassionate God.
(Disclaimer: This article in no way tries to diagnose or prescribe and does not possess a magical solution to remove anxiety, but rather introduces ways to cope with worries with God’s word and His presence. If it is a medical condition, eg an anxiety disorder, please consult a medical professional.)
References:
The Holy Bible, King James and New King James Versions.
LeDoux J.E. and Gorman J.M. (2001). A call to action: overcoming anxiety through active coping. American Journal of Psychiatry, 158(12): 1953-1955. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.158.12.1953
Michael, S. T. (2000). Chapter 16 - Hope Conquers Fear: Overcoming Anxiety and Panic Attacks, Editor(s): C.R. Snyder, Handbook of Hope, Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012654050-5/50018-X