Gratitude as an Antidote to Anxiety- Matt 6
Anxiety has to do with the persistent underlying presence of fear or panic. It’s the presence of worry, unrest, or a sense of danger.
Statistics Canada reported that
“the proportion of Canadians aged 15 years and older with a generalized anxiety disorder doubled from 2012 to 2022 … . The largest 10-year increases were seen among young people, particularly young women aged 15 to 24 years, for whom the prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder tripled. … [Regarding] social phobia … comparisons with 2002 suggest a fourfold increase in the prevalence of social phobia among young women. ”[1]
Statistics Canada is talking about disorders, which generally means a kind of anxiety that significantly interferes with living your life. It is overwhelming and it is chronic. So, we can probably assume that the numbers of people dealing with anxiety without it getting to the point of being a disorder is probably quite a bit higher. The numbers are telling us that things are getting worse. We are getting more anxious.
Some anxiety actually has a physiological basis like an undiagnosed heart issue, neurological issue, or endocrine disease. Though, most anxiety we deal with has its roots in our perceptions- in how we are thinking about our life.
The media often plays on our worry to keep us watching their content. Its called “fear for profit”. The sociologist Barry Glassner wrote a book called The Culture of Fear where he states,
“between 1990 and 1998, when [America’s] murder rate declined by 20%, the number of murder stories on network newscasts increased 600%”.[2]
We are presented with plenty of reasons to worry.
In our Gospel reading today Jesus says,
In our Gospel reading today Jesus says,
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear” (Matt 6:25).
… To the people Jesus is talking to, they aren’t worried about buying lattes, organic tomatoes, or Italian shoes. Worry connected to those kinds of things we tend to dismiss as being a bit silly.
To the people Jesus is talking to, food and clothing are real concerns. They lived in a world where it was possible to not have food or clothing if they became ill for a period of time and couldn’t work, for example. They didn’t have a social welfare program like we have. They would have to rely on family and neighbours to care for them.
So, Jesus isn’t saying to not worry about silly things. These are things that people really need. In their time and culture, we would probably consider these to be understandable worries, not silly worries.
There are real things that break. We have needs and absences that are real and significant. … Inflation can make it harder to stretch a fixed income to cover the necessities of life. Maybe we get a disease and our health breaks in significant ways. Someone we love dies, or the relationship ends, and we feel the lack of them in our lives. … These are important realities we face. These can lead to worry. Worry about our health. Worry about being alone.
…There are many silly things to worry about in our life, but there are real things to worry about too. … And when something goes wrong, or we are worried that something is going to go wrong, it’s easy for it to fully consume our attention.
The circumstances that bash against us are often unpredictable. And our peace is often determined by the circumstances we face. When we live in peaceful circumstances, then we can feel peaceful. When we deal with turbulent circumstances, then we feel that turbulence internally. … But, if our attention is always on something that could go wrong, then even when my circumstances are relatively peaceful, then I’m internally full of turbulence.
But what if our circumstances don’t have to be the foundation of our peace?
I don’t think Jesus is giving us a law here. He isn’t saying that we are breaking one of God’s laws if we worry. This is wisdom. I think he is saying you don’t have to worry. There is another way. The way of the Kingdom means you don’t have to live your life consumed by worry. Jesus says,
To the people Jesus is talking to, food and clothing are real concerns. They lived in a world where it was possible to not have food or clothing if they became ill for a period of time and couldn’t work, for example. They didn’t have a social welfare program like we have. They would have to rely on family and neighbours to care for them.
So, Jesus isn’t saying to not worry about silly things. These are things that people really need. In their time and culture, we would probably consider these to be understandable worries, not silly worries.
There are real things that break. We have needs and absences that are real and significant. … Inflation can make it harder to stretch a fixed income to cover the necessities of life. Maybe we get a disease and our health breaks in significant ways. Someone we love dies, or the relationship ends, and we feel the lack of them in our lives. … These are important realities we face. These can lead to worry. Worry about our health. Worry about being alone.
…There are many silly things to worry about in our life, but there are real things to worry about too. … And when something goes wrong, or we are worried that something is going to go wrong, it’s easy for it to fully consume our attention.
The circumstances that bash against us are often unpredictable. And our peace is often determined by the circumstances we face. When we live in peaceful circumstances, then we can feel peaceful. When we deal with turbulent circumstances, then we feel that turbulence internally. … But, if our attention is always on something that could go wrong, then even when my circumstances are relatively peaceful, then I’m internally full of turbulence.
But what if our circumstances don’t have to be the foundation of our peace?
I don’t think Jesus is giving us a law here. He isn’t saying that we are breaking one of God’s laws if we worry. This is wisdom. I think he is saying you don’t have to worry. There is another way. The way of the Kingdom means you don’t have to live your life consumed by worry. Jesus says,
“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?” (Matt 6:25-26).“And why do you worry 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 clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?” (Matt 6:28-30)
… Now, I suspect Jesus isn’t saying that we should live like birds or flowers. He is giving a poetic vision of creatures that survive in spite of not doing all the preparatory work that we human beings do and worry about.
The more important part of what Jesus says is his description of God. He describes God as, “your heavenly Father”. This is not a distant God. This is not a God who is waiting to zap you when you step out of line. … This is a God who loves us. This is a God who is for us and not against us. We are invited to trust that our heavenly Father has things under control. That is what “faith” means. It’s trust. … We are invited to trust that in the end things will be okay.
In St. Paul’s letter to the Romans he writes,
The more important part of what Jesus says is his description of God. He describes God as, “your heavenly Father”. This is not a distant God. This is not a God who is waiting to zap you when you step out of line. … This is a God who loves us. This is a God who is for us and not against us. We are invited to trust that our heavenly Father has things under control. That is what “faith” means. It’s trust. … We are invited to trust that in the end things will be okay.
In St. Paul’s letter to the Romans he writes,
“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
I know this is not a popular thing to say in our world right now. And it is a saying that can be abused. It can be used to dismiss someone’s suffering, for example. And that’s not what this is about. The disciples knew real suffering. Jesus knew suffering. They never said that the suffering wasn’t real or didn’t matter. … I don’t believe that God causes our suffering. But whatever suffering is allowed to come to us will only be that suffering that can be redeemed and transformed for our good. … The suffering of our life cannot outweigh the good that God is going to do in this life or the next. … We are asked to trust that this is the case- That God has things under control in ways we might not be able to understand.
Jesus says,
Jesus says,
“And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?” (Matt 6:27).
If you look back over your life, what has worry done for you? Has it helped you to be fed? Has it helped you to be clothed? Has worry helped your relationships, or your health? … What has worry gotten you? Perhaps it would have been helpful if there was a lion hiding in a bush, and we were made more cautious by our worry. But most bushes don't have lions.
For most of us, worry is just something that happens to us. … For most of us, it has its roots in thinking that leads to fear. We fear what might happen, even though looking back, the things we are afraid will happen usually don’t happen. … Our attention is caught by all that can go wrong. … But what if our attention could stay trained on our Heavenly Father who has things under control? How would that change things? What if I could learn to trust God regardless of the circumstances? …
And even now I can hear inside of myself the protest “but what about? but what about? but what about?” What about the birds of the air that don’t get enough to eat? What about the lilies of the field that don’t get enough water and get trampled on? … There are lots of things that can go wrong in our life. … Jesus isn’t saying that trusting God will mean that everything will go the way we want it to go. Yes, sometimes life is going to be very hard.
Again, I don’t think Jesus is giving a law, saying “you better not worry or else.” I think he is opening up another way to us. What if we don’t have to worry? What if we can live as citizens of the Kingdom of God right now, where we are ultimately safe and in God’s care. Yes, there will be storms and discomforts, but what if we don’t have to have our peace depend on those outward circumstances. …
How good do your circumstances have to be for you to not worry? … How much money do you need, for example? Do we really think that rich people don’t worry? … I wonder what our ancestors of a few hundred years ago would say to us? In many ways they could have only dreamed of the circumstances we have available to us- the food that fills our grocery stores, the technology we have available to us, the medications. We live in a way that our ancestors could not have imagined. We live in a way that most human beings who have ever lived could only imagine.
It’s easy to imagine our ancestors saying, “if I lived in the time you live, I wouldn’t worry”. But of course, they would be wrong because we can always find something to worry about, if “not worrying” is based on the circumstances we face.
Jesus teaches, “strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt 6:33). Rather than the fear of what might happen, … if we can instead train ourselves to keep our heavenly Father, who loves us, and has all things under control, front and center in our mind, then we will find that our worry will be replaced by gratitude. We will instead see that we are safe in God’s hand. We will face difficulty, but we are still safe in God’s hand. This life will end at some point, and we will still be safe in God’s hand. … God may not give us what we want, but we will be given what we ultimately need, which is salvation and the opportunity to grow spiritually. … And that doesn’t mean we won’t have hard times, but our peace won’t be centered on those circumstances. Instead, our peace will be grounded in the Kingdom of God that we are invited to live in right now.
And then our focus will be on giving thanks for all that God has provided for us- The beauty of the world we live in, the people we love, the beating of our heart, the breath that fills our lungs, … our creation, our preservation, and our salvation through the works of Christ. AMEN
For most of us, worry is just something that happens to us. … For most of us, it has its roots in thinking that leads to fear. We fear what might happen, even though looking back, the things we are afraid will happen usually don’t happen. … Our attention is caught by all that can go wrong. … But what if our attention could stay trained on our Heavenly Father who has things under control? How would that change things? What if I could learn to trust God regardless of the circumstances? …
And even now I can hear inside of myself the protest “but what about? but what about? but what about?” What about the birds of the air that don’t get enough to eat? What about the lilies of the field that don’t get enough water and get trampled on? … There are lots of things that can go wrong in our life. … Jesus isn’t saying that trusting God will mean that everything will go the way we want it to go. Yes, sometimes life is going to be very hard.
Again, I don’t think Jesus is giving a law, saying “you better not worry or else.” I think he is opening up another way to us. What if we don’t have to worry? What if we can live as citizens of the Kingdom of God right now, where we are ultimately safe and in God’s care. Yes, there will be storms and discomforts, but what if we don’t have to have our peace depend on those outward circumstances. …
How good do your circumstances have to be for you to not worry? … How much money do you need, for example? Do we really think that rich people don’t worry? … I wonder what our ancestors of a few hundred years ago would say to us? In many ways they could have only dreamed of the circumstances we have available to us- the food that fills our grocery stores, the technology we have available to us, the medications. We live in a way that our ancestors could not have imagined. We live in a way that most human beings who have ever lived could only imagine.
It’s easy to imagine our ancestors saying, “if I lived in the time you live, I wouldn’t worry”. But of course, they would be wrong because we can always find something to worry about, if “not worrying” is based on the circumstances we face.
Jesus teaches, “strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt 6:33). Rather than the fear of what might happen, … if we can instead train ourselves to keep our heavenly Father, who loves us, and has all things under control, front and center in our mind, then we will find that our worry will be replaced by gratitude. We will instead see that we are safe in God’s hand. We will face difficulty, but we are still safe in God’s hand. This life will end at some point, and we will still be safe in God’s hand. … God may not give us what we want, but we will be given what we ultimately need, which is salvation and the opportunity to grow spiritually. … And that doesn’t mean we won’t have hard times, but our peace won’t be centered on those circumstances. Instead, our peace will be grounded in the Kingdom of God that we are invited to live in right now.
And then our focus will be on giving thanks for all that God has provided for us- The beauty of the world we live in, the people we love, the beating of our heart, the breath that fills our lungs, … our creation, our preservation, and our salvation through the works of Christ. AMEN
[1] https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/230922/dq230922b-eng.htm
[2] "The Good and Beautiful Life" by James Bryan Smith. "Fear for Profit" Syndrome by Scott Bader-Saye. "The Culture of Fear" by Barry Glassner
Comments
Post a Comment