Anxiety: fighting with your body
Last Sunday we looked at Matthew 6:24 – 34 in the Sermon in the Mount series. This post is one in a series that addresses some follow up issues. The first three posts are Anxiety: is it ok to plan for the future?, Anxiety: will God always give me food to eat?, and Anxiety: the link to peoples opinions. You can listen to the sermon HERE, or subscribe in iTunes.Up to this point everything I have preached and written on anxiety has been about fighting with our heart and mind. We have considered the wonderful truth that God cares for us and that his opinion is far richer and rewarding than the opinions of those around us. Anxiety begins in our mind, so it is absolutely crucial we start our battle there. But there is another side to anxiety, and it is often the more plaguing side--our bodies.Anxiety almost always has an immediate and negative effect on our bodies: increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, sweating, shaking/trembling, dizziness, stomach pains, and shortness of breath to name a few. Most people who struggle with anxiety have what's been called a target organ. Our bodies normally become conditioned to respond to anxiety in a particular way, and there is one part or aspect of our body that seems to take the brunt of our anxiety. It's often the physical side effects of anxiety that people hate the most. Dealing with a racing mind is one thing, dealing with a body that is rebelling against you is another, and often the more difficult.I bring all of this up to acknowledge that anxiety has both a spiritual/mental aspect (I'll call this our heart) as well as a physical aspect. Most of us will have to approach both sides if we are going to find victory over anxiety. We should expect nothing less than this two pronged approach. You are a human being, and that means you have a spiritual and a physical component. To be human in the fullest extent means that you have both of these. That is one reason we will receive resurrected, renewed bodies when Jesus returns--we are not going to float around as disembodied spirits for all eternity! Contrary to what many people think, Christianity has much to say about both aspects of our humanity. Jesus is deeply concerned for your heart and your body, and in the end Jesus will fully restore and renew both parts of our humanity.So, what can we do to battle anxiety on the physical front? One of the simplest and most effective things you can do is exercise. Some studies have found that regular exercise--at least three times a week for thirty minutes--can have the same positive effects as prescription medicine for anxiety. One expert I've spoken with put it like this: "Our bodies literally store up anxiety. Exercise can get rid of it." I find that interesting, mainly because exercise fits so well with how God made us and what he wants us to do. God gave us a body, and he intends for us to use it to the best of our ability. Sloth is never praised in Scripture. Solomon absolutely pummels laziness in Proverbs (Proverbs 6:6, 9, 10:26, 13:4, 15:19, 19:24, 20:4, 21:25, 22:13, 24:30, 26:13 - 16), while Paul writes, "If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat" 2 Thes. 3:10. Please do not hear me saying that if you are anxious you are a lazy person. Most people I know work very hard. But I also know it is possible to work very hard in our modern age without getting our heart rate up for an extended amount of time! What I'm getting at is this, for many of us our daily work (albeit hard) is not the physical equivalent of going for a three mile jog or twenty mile bike ride. We work hard, but we may not be fully engaging our bodies.I don't think it is coincidence that using our bodies and being good stewards of them, both of which are God honoring acts, helps battle anxiety (as well as depression). And please don't think there is a need to divide the two front attack: heart and body. I have found in my own battle against anxiety that addressing both sides of my humanity is helpful. I need to read and memorize Scripture so that my heart is transformed, and I need to regularly and extensively use the body God has given me to break the physical cycle of anxiety. So, if you're struggling with anxiety, take up this other tool to battle it. And remember, all of exercise's benefits take time to show, so stick with it.
Anxiety: the link to people's opinions
Last Sunday we looked at Matthew 6:24 - 34 in our sermon in the mount series. This post is one in a series that addresses some follow up issues (The fist two posts are Anxiety: is it ok to plan for the future? and Anxiety: will God always give me food to eat?). You can also listen to the sermon HERE, or subscribe in iTunes.Often we read the Sermon on the Mount topic by topic. We will study anger, lust, divorce, giving, praying, and fasting individually. There is no doubt that every topic Jesus raises in his sermon is worthy of individual consideration. We should set our mind on each of these things individually and search Scripture in the hopes that God will lay bare the root of our sin and put it to death with the Gospel. But there is another way to look at the Sermon on the Mount that is equally important and holds its own lessons. We can read looking for the bigger picture. Think of it like this: we can read Jesus' sermon through a microscope or a telescope. Both views are beneficial and necessary, and often we will see something different through each lens.When we consider anxiety from a narrower approach, say Matthew 6:24 - 34, we hear Jesus telling us that God cares for us and will gladly provide for his children. That is a powerful truth that we can battle our anxious thoughts and feelings with, but for most of us it is only half the battle. Half of our anxiety comes from failing to believe that God will take care of us, while the other half of our anxiety comes from the way we view other people. One of the greatest sources of our anxiety is our fear of what people will think of us. We tend to run our decisions, actions, and speech through a filter that asks one question: what will they think? The 'they' in that question is different for everyone, and often varies from situation to situation. I might be our family, our neighbors, our coworkers, even our church. We can be so impacted by fear of others that at best we will change our plans and at worst become paralyzed with fear and do nothing.Now, I know as adults we like to think that we have conquered this demon. We like to think that we are our own man or woman and do what we like or think is best. We like to think that other people's opinions have little to no effect on us. But that is often not the case. I like to use the illustration of public speaking to make this point. Public speaking consistently ranks as the second greatest fear among Americans--death is number one. Chances are you would be anxious, some more than others, if you had to address a room of 1,000 people. But why? What will those people do to you? Are you afraid that they will hurt you, kill you if you do poorly? Are you afraid that they will ruin your life? Most likely not. The one fear that runs in your mind and heart is, What will they think of me?Jesus knows our hearts propensity to overvalue the opinions of people and so become anxious. What I find interesting is that Jesus deals with this before he tells me not to be anxious in Mt. 6:24. In the first 21 verse of Chapter 6 Jesus is talking about giving, praying, and fasting, but those three subject are illustrations of a central point Jesus is making; namely, that we should seek the praise of God and not the praise of men (You can find that sermon HERE, titled Opinion of men | Opinion of God). Jesus' three fold refrain is "Do not seek the praise of men, seek your Father's praise--Mt. 6:4, 6, 17-18. And so when I look at Mathew 6 as a whole, the telescope view, I see that Jesus addresses the two great pillars of our anxiety. First, overvaluing the opinions of others, and the second, failing to believe that God will take care of me.The truth that can knock down both of those pillars is to believe that what God offers is not just sufficient, but better than the alternative. In this case, we fight the anxiety that comes from fearing others opinions by believing that the opinion of God is more important and far more rewarding than the opinions of men. Jesus tells me that when I see that my whole body will be full of light (Mt. 6:22-23). So take the telescopic view of Matthew 6 and battle your anxiety on both fronts.If you are interested in reading more on fearing the opinion of men and the anxiety that comes from it I would recommend Ed Welch's book, When People are Big and God is Small. Tomorrow's post--Anxiety: fighting with your body
Anxiety: will God always give me food to eat?
Last Sunday we looked at Matthew 6:24 - 34 in our sermon in the mount series. This post is one in a series that addresses some follow up issues (read the first post in the series HERE). You can listen to the sermon HERE, or subscribe in iTunes.
Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
One question I've often asked myself in light of this verse is, does this mean I will always have food to eat? clothes to wear? water to drink? Will God always give me the basic necessities of life if I'm following him? To put it bluntly, do Christians who are whole heartedly following Jesus starve to death? Now, I know how we want to answer this question, both from the simple reading of this passage as well as our own feelings. We want to say NO! God would never let one of his faithful children starve to death, die from thirst, lack of clothing, or any other basic need.But that's not the answer I'm going to give. The way I'm going to answer this question is going to be uncomfortable for some of you. We live in a part of the world where death from starvation or exposure are not threats knocking on our doors--in short we don't suffer much from lack of basic necessities (it's not suffering to have to eat beans and rice instead of steaks!). Let me give you my simple answer, give you some illustrations, and end by telling you how all this produces in us a greater faith in Jesus and kills the root of our anxiety.The simple answer to our question is, yes. A Christian who whole heartedly follows Jesus may starve to death. Now, before you get angry, let me give you some examples and challenge our thinking some. I could give example after example (who but God knows how many Christian martyrs have starved to death?), but let me settle on just two. First, an example from our own day. Less than three years ago there was a village in Somalia where Christians were persecuted for their faith. Their persecutors denied them food and other basic necessities. There were at least 18 Christians who starved to death because they believed in Jesus.Secondly, let me offer you an example from the Bible. The story revolves around a widow who lived in Zarepath during a famine (1 Kings 17:8 - 16). The prophet Elijah walked into town and asked a widow with a son for a morsel of bread. Her response:
And she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.”
The situation was bleak. The widow and her son would soon to starve to death. But God did something amazing. He miraculously provided the widow with flour and oil that did not run out during famine. She was saved (1 Kings 17:15 - 16). That story seems to contradict what I'm saying, doesn't it? But lets not leave it there. Interestingly, Jesus mentions this story and adds one interesting bit of information.
But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. Luke 4:25 - 26
Do you see the implication here? Yes, God sent Elijah to work a mighty miracle in the life of one widow. But she wasn't alone. There were many widows in Israel who were starving to death, many who had great needs. Jesus leaves it there, but the reality is that many people suffered and died from that famine--and some of them must have truly hoped in God.Now, one simple answer given to these examples goes like this: "They must not have had enough faith." The idea is that if they had believed more, God would have fed them. Let me say in no uncertain terms that such an answer is awful, prideful, and goes against what I believe is clear biblical teaching. That answer assumes that we have the deeper faith (since we are not starving to death). Let me assure you, it takes far more faith in God to starve to death for Jesus than to eat well every night for Jesus! (If space permitted this is where I would insert my rant against the prosperity gospel, name it & claim it theology, and word of faith theology. All three of which find their heart in filthy rich nations.) If you need more convincing that Christians can and will suffer the lack of basic necessities consider this. Our first basic necessity is breath. God gives us every breath we take, and we desperately need each one! But it is appointed to all men once to die. All of us will one day lack the basic necessity of another breath, another heart beat. And no amount of faith can permanently stay physical death. You will go without a basic need one day.So, if Christians can and have starved to death, what in the world is Jesus trying to teach me here, and how does that help kill my anxiety? Here's my simple answer: Jesus wants me to deeply believe that God cares for me, and as I strive to love Jesus and follow his teaching, I can be assured that God will give me what I need to accomplish his will--even if that will is to go without food. God will give me my daily bread until there comes a time when not having daily bread is what I need to do God's will.But wait, doesn't that make us more anxious? That God might ask me to suffer the loss of basic necessities for the sake of Jesus? It may, but only if we forget that there are greater gifts than food and water. I am absolutely certain that those 18 Somali Christians who starved to death are not complaining to Jesus even now as they sit at his feet. Don't misunderstand me. I am not trying to romanticize suffering. Suffering is, well, suffering. It is not pleasant. The great question when it comes to our anxiety is, do we trust God to give us what is best. Do we trust that God knows what he's doing even if he doesn't give us food today? That when God permits or even plans our suffering that he is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory (2 Cor. 4:17)? Do you believe that there is something better than your daily bread? Do we trust God enough to love him and rejoice with him in the midst of our pain and need? It seems to me that if my trust is that deep my worry and anxiety will lose all its power.Tomorrow's post: Anxiety: the link to people's opinions
Anxiety: is it ok to plan for the future?
Last Sunday we looked at Matthew 6:24 - 34 in our sermon in the mount series. This is a blog that addresses some follow up issues. You can listen to the sermon HERE, or subscribe in iTunes.In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus addresses some of the most persistent sins we face, all the while driving us to grace and showing us how to be salt and light. Sunday we looked at what Jesus had to say on anxiety. I won't rehash the sermon here (see the links above), but there are a few things I want to address throughout the week. The first issue has to do with planning. The last thing Jesus tells us about anxiety has to do with tomorrow.
Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:34
Here Jesus is trying to get us to see that God gives us grace for today. Jesus wants us to live in today and not worry about what grace we'll need tomorrow--the idea is that when tomorrow becomes today I'll again have grace for today. In my Sunday night small group we got a great question about planning from this verse. Jesus want's us to live in the now, not worrying about what will come tomorrow. So, does that mean I shouldn't plan for tomorrow?The simple answer to that question is no. There is nothing wrong with considering what the future might hold and planning accordingly. There are plenty of scriptures that tell us to consider the future. Everything from consider the cost of following Jesus to considering the ant (both of which require thinking about what tomorrow holds). So, how can I consider and plan for tomorrow and still live in today's grace and not be anxious? I think a hint to the answer can be found in the first illustration Jesus gives on anxiety: look at the birds. It's true that birds neither sow or reap, but it's also true that birds plan for the future. Every year birds make nests. They're planning for a future family. They work and toil to make provisions for tomorrow. And yet, just as with food, they are taken care of. As far as we can tell birds are not anxious about how things will turn out each spring--whether God will fill the nest. They labor for tomorrow and, just as with their food, our heavenly Father takes care of their needs. You can almost see a quiet confidence in the way birds prepare for the future. And I think that's the key to our preparation. There is no need for us to let our minds race down every conceivable path in our planning for tomorrow. When we plan, we use the good sense God has given us to consider what is likely to come to pass, what we are likely to need, and if necessary we make preparations beforehand. But that's where it can end for us. When tomorrow becomes today, God, in his good providence and care, will give grace and lovingly take care of you. Sometimes you have to consider tomorrow. Sometimes you have to build your nest beforehand. And when you do, work hard and build a good nest to the glory of God. But leave the filling of the nest to God. Tomorrows post is, Anxiety: will God always meet my needs?