…casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…

II Corinthians 10:5

One of the facets of anxiety is a self-defeating part. Yes, anxiety is marked by worry- often irrational worry. However, another facet of anxiety can be an inexplicable negativity toward oneself. This aspect of anxiety is frustrating and difficult because it is so personal, so introspective, and it feels so defeating.   

I recently spoke with a client who was experiencing this aspect of his social anxiety, and I talked with him about positive self-talk. Positive self-talk is the intentional action of recounting positive things that we did or do. For example, I suggested that this client (who also has trouble sleeping due to chronic anxiety), to practice positive self-talk at bedtime about his good decisions during that day. It can be anything. He could recount perhaps exercising when he didn’t feel like it; or having resisted that junk food; helping a friend; encouraging someone; working hard at the job…

Yes, it could be anything. These are not artificial affirmations. These are simple recognitions of the good things we did that day. We tend not to recall such things because we see them as “just normal things” that people do. While that is true, we are trying to overcome an insidious anxiety that would have us believe that we are flawed or worthless. I just call this “fair fighting.”  

We don’t make up things about ourselves that are not true. We are simply valuing parts of ourselves that anxiety might have us ignore. Yes, this needs to be an intentional practice, and it is worth the doing. Telling ourselves the truth is an important way to take control of negative thoughts of anxiety.

Prayer: Lord, you have made us in your image, loved by you. Help us also to honestly love ourselves, Amen

Verb: (used without object)

to feel, show, or express grief, sorrow, or regret.

to mourn deeply.

Noun:

an expression of grief or sorrow.

a formal expression of sorrow or mourning, especially in verse or song; an elegy or dirge.                                                                                                       

(Dictionary.com)

Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge                                  Psalm 62:8

There are situations in our personal life, and in world events where the only response we have is “lament”. This word is either a noun or a verb, depending on the usage and intent. We can actively lament something e.g., mourning, or have deep regret, for example. We can also be in a “state of lament” and perhaps in that state, express it, as the definition suggests, in a formal way.

Either way, it is important to become aware of this lament and own it. As I have stated before, some emotions come out in ways that are not good indicators of the true feelings inside. For example, fear may come out looking like anger. Sadness may come out as sullenness or withdrawal, and so on.

There are numerous instances in the Bible where people like David, and Jeremiah, Amos, and many others described their state of lament. They cried out to God for various situations wherein they saw themselves as helpless, and in the pain of mourning or deep sadness.

Getting in touch with our state of lament is healthy and important. Often, world situations such as the misery and violence in Gaza and Israel, the horrific invasion of Ukraine, mass shootings, dire poverty, and natural disasters cry out for lament. Personal tragedies such as a devastating illness also can bring us to a state of lament.

Lament does not necessarily mean “helpless”, but it is a recognition of the current suffering we face. That recognition may help us to share it with others, and get the help and support we need at the time.

So, we come to realize that lament is part of life, and that we are not alone in it.

Prayer: Lord, you have designed a crucial plan where you are our refuge in times of trouble, Amen

 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes                                                             James 4:14

Our pastor had a sermon yesterday about passages in our life. He talked about how we grow from using that little toddler seat on wheels, and how that progresses to bikes, cars, and often, eventually, to a walker. We progress quickly through this life. In fact, as we age it seems to go more quickly than when we were young.

That is because it is true!

No, time progresses at the same rate, at least in the dimension in which we live, but our perception of it does change. Why is that? Well, it is simple math.  Think of it this way. When we are, say, 10 years old, one year of our life is 10% of our entire life. That is a sizable chunk!

Now consider what one year is in the percentage of my own life of 74 years. That would be (I did the math) 1.35%. That does not feel like very much- because it isn’t! So, my experience of the length of a year is very different than that of my 10-year-old grandson.  A year is just a blip for me. For my grandson, waiting a year for Christmas or his birthday feels like an eternity.

I recall one year when I was just a kid, maybe 7 or 8, my older brother Ed (Ed, you may not remember this but I do!) said to me on Christmas Eve- the best day of the year ever by the way- “just think, only 366 days until next Christmas!”

Fortunately, he told me on Christmas Eve and I was excited to open presents that night. Had he told me the next day that Christmas was 365 days away, I would have been pretty bummed out. But my brother was kind to me, as usual.

My point here is this- life is short and must be savored. We need to cherish every day, every hour, and use it to God’s glory and for our good, and the good of others.

Prayer: Lord, you give us the gift of life daily. Help us to use it wisely and well, Amen

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves    Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning

…Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?                                       Job 2:10

Suffering. It is a part of the human experience. It is unavoidable, much as we try to avoid it. It is not a matter of if we will suffer, but when we will suffer. It is natural to try to avoid or minimize suffering, obviously, but it is unreasonable to think that we can simply completely avoid it.

So, as suffering is an inevitable travelling partner of human beings, it makes sense to have a philosophy of how we will approach suffering. Suffering comes in many flavors- physical, spiritual, emotional, relational, mental- in every way we can perceive the world- and often when one area is affected, all are affected.

Our attitude about suffering will be the indicator of how we survive it. As the great Viktor Frankl wrote “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” As a concentration camp survivor in World War II, Frankl was deeply acquainted with suffering. He understood that no matter what his Nazi captors could do to him, they could never control his mind and attitudes. That was under his control.

The famous Biblical sufferer, Job also had a great philosophy toward suffering. He said “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” He accepted that in this life, there is both joy and suffering, and that he could not blame God for the way this human experience on earth works.

Finally, we serve a God who chose to send his son to the earth to experience that very suffering that we all share. Jesus was a man “acquainted with grief” so that he could fully understand his creation.

So, my friends, we are joined in a fellowship of periodic suffering in our lifetime. The question is, how will we redeem it for good?

Prayer: Lord, you have given us resources to deal with suffering. Help us to use those resources wisely, Amen

Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking. It is for peace that you were chosen to be together in one body. And always be thankful.                                                   Colossians 3:15

I recently had a conversation with a client who has suffered from chronic anxiety. Recently, he has had an adjustment to his antianxiety medication which he feels has been helpful. As a former pilot, he used the analogy of being in a cockpit where there are many alarms that blink, and one needs to pay attention to their warnings. Most are standard alerts that one must deal with, but one can be overwhelmed with the volume of such alerts.

He stated that anxiety is like a blizzard of alerts going off in his brain, and he must attend to the ones that are most important. There is a sort of filter that helps deal with such alerts. With no medication, the alerts in his head all seem to have equal value of assessing danger. Everything looks like potential disaster. It can feel overwhelming. With the medication, he feels that he is better able to filter the alerts that are critical, and to defer the ones that are not of immediate priority.

Indeed, we all filter our thoughts and responses. A healthy prefrontal cortex helps us to not “say the quiet things out loud”. A good anxiety filter helps us to prioritize the things that are critical and in need immediate attention from those things that can be deferred or even disregarded.

So, the role of medication is not to solve our thinking problems, but to give us the extra margins to better filter the things that are critical, and things that can be deferred.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the amazing way you have given us the mechanisms to process and relay information, Amen

And I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns.           Philippians 1:6

I was speaking with a client recently about the value of personal disciplines in each area of life- physical, spiritual, and emotional dimensions. Disciplines give us a sense of structure and control. They help us to feel better about ourselves as we do the things that we say we are going to do. That being said, when we fall out of the habit of a discipline, it does not take long for the benefits to diminish.

I remember when I had a knee replacement several years ago. I had been walking several miles per day for years, but finally the knee gave out and I needed a new one. While I was in the hospital, and just a few weeks removed from regular walking, I saw that my calf muscle had visibly atrophied. Needless to say, I was depressed, but also determined to get back to exercise as soon as I could!

The point is this- disciplines are good for the body and soul, but be sure to keep up the habits. Indeed the saying is true, “If you don’t use it, you lose it!

Prayer: Lord, give us the strength to continue the good work you began in us, Amen

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.

Today, on this day after the election in the United States, I simply offer the calming presence of Psalm 23, and the beautiful blessing of Numbers chapter 6. No matter your political inclinations, your joy or disappointment today, the Shepherd is still the one who provides comfort and security- forever.

“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”                                                                                         Numbers 6:24-26

The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.             Proverbs 22:9

Jesus said that he came to fulfill the law, not to destroy it. His words to his followers reinforced the essential doctrines of the need to care for our fellow man as set forth in the Old and the New Testaments. Time and again Jesus, and then his followers, set forth the need to display love for others, especially those who are suffering, afflicted, and in need of the help of others to navigate a difficult world.

Professing faith is not the same as practicing faith, as my friend Mike Slaughter would say. James, in his New Testament letter, warned that faith that does not produce good visible effects, is not the kind of faith that is effective. Indeed, what the world needs to see from Christians is faith in action- faith that shows love and compassion for a broken world.

THAT faith saves and demonstrates the heart of God.

Prayer: Lord, help us to truly put into practice what we profess, Amen

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.                     Philippians 4:8

(def.) Agency: a thing or person that acts to produce a particular result:

Oxford Language Dictionary

What lowers anxiety? Being able to do something- to take an action of some type. If we can do something, we have agency, that is, a thing or person that acts to produce a particular result. We have agency when we take actions on our behalf or on the behalf of others. We can have an impact. We can exert some measure of control.

As I have said numerous times, the more control we feel, the lower the anxiety present in our minds. Therefore, in situations where we feel threatened or fearful, concentrating on the things we CAN do is much superior to recounting the things we CANNOT do.

It is easy for all of us to fall into the limiting thinking of helplessness- recounting all the things that we cannot do at the time. Indeed, in many situations, there are things that we truly cannot do. However, if we are open to looking for the things that we can actually do to better or alleviate our situation, we can have more control over our emotions and anxiety.  

I recently spoke with a young couple who are mired in a difficult financial situation. They are living in an apartment that is in a neighborhood that they feel is bad for their children. They often feel defeated by what they have not done well- poor spending habits in the past for example. They feel that they cannot get ahead.

As we talked, it became apparent that this couple does have a lot going for them, but they often fail to see it. There indeed are some things that they CAN do that will help them get to their goal. They simply needed encouragement, and a look at things that they CAN do.  

Prayer: Lord, help us to see the CANS more than the CANNOTS, Amen

I look up to the mountains. Where does my help come from?
 My help comes from the Lord. He is the Maker of heaven and earth.

 He won’t let your foot slip. He who watches over you won’t get tired.
 In fact, he who watches over Israel won’t get tired or go to sleep.

 The Lord watches over you. The Lord is like a shade tree at your right hand.
 The sun won’t harm you during the day. The moon won’t harm you during the night.

 The Lord will keep you from every kind of harm. He will watch over your life.
 The Lord will watch over your life no matter where you go, both now and forever

Psalm 121

This beautiful Psalm is one of the Hebrew Songs of Ascent. I understand that it was sung by pilgrims as they made their way up toward the heights of Jerusalem for holy worship. These travelers might become weary on the long trek, and they encouraged one another by singing these Psalms that they had committed to memory.

The King James translation renders that first line “I will lift up my eyes unto the hills…” That catches my attention, not only because of its poetic beauty, but because of the literal value of the idea- I will lift up my eyes. There is a specific value in deciding to look up. It talks about a decision to look up when we are weary, not to hang our heads.

Have you ever seen athletes on the basketball court or on football sidelines put their hands on their hips? It is a sure sign of fatigue. Many coaches caution their players, even when fatigued, to not give in to a gesture that might give others the idea that they are exhausted.

Deciding to look up when the journey gets hard is a good concept. After all, the Psalmist reminded the pilgrims that their help comes from the Lord- the one who made the mountain that they were trudging up. God would give them strength if they looked up to him.

So, fellow travelers, when the journey gets hard, lift up your eyes to the Creator who gives strength.

Prayer: We are weary Lord, but our strength is renewed in you alone, Amen