Why do you suppose God advises we find our peace in Him rather than our circumstances? To some people this seems obvious and therefore silly to even ask. To others this is a real question that is very difficult to even focus on due to the intensity of the fear they feel. I don’t ask the question to cause guilt or shame. Fear is a very real feeling caused by a number of components.
Fear and anxiety can be such a painful and uncomfortable feeling—so painful or uncomfortable that it leads to a desperate search for relief. That desperation pushes us to look at our circumstances to force-quit our anxiousness. We start to believe that if we can alter our circumstances, we can force our anxiousness to subside. There is a problem with this thinking however and that is that many circumstances are out of our control OR require us to control someone else. There is no ‘force-quit’ mechanism as much as we might try. How do we do this?
We use anger or fear to get people to change their way of thinking or behavior OR we obsess about the outcome that we believe would make our anxiousness go away. All at the end of the day will more than likely leave you feeling as much or more anxious. The hard truth is that the more we go to our old methods to cope with our desperation, the more we are returned to the same old desperate, unresolved feelings of anxiousness. If this has been a struggle for you, then you know exactly what I am writing about.
More often than not, even if our best-case dreams happen, the anxiousness might subside only for a moment or a few days if we are fortunate. Anxiety feelings lead us to magical thinking—if a certain hoped for outcome happens, I will be okay, if it doesn’t happen, I will not be okay—so I better put all my efforts into making it happen. As you wait and try to orchestrate your outcome, your anxiety will almost surely escalate back up to the desperation stage.
What is the answer to the question? God knows that only He is the solid Rock that won’t crumble when life challenges us to the core. Jesus is recorded in the Gospels as saying, ‘I will never leave you’. In your worst moment of fear, He is with you. You do not have to try harder, think smarter, perform better. He is here with you. That is why the Apostle Paul described a peace that transcends our circumstances that will guard our hearts and minds.
This kind of faith seems abstract but as you allow it to grow, you will find a place to come and rest in your mind when your anxious feelings begin to ramp up again. Knowing of His presence can help you give up the desperate trying and rest…and wait as your anxiousness floods over you and then subsides.
By: Scott Hendrickson, LCPC
No comments:
Post a Comment