I recently felt anxious for a few days.
Anxious about money. About my career. About my future. During my morning time of meditation and prayer on one of those days, I talked about those feelings with God. As I did, some lyrics to an unfinished song I’d written years ago came back to me:
If You carved the mountains
If You formed the valleys
If You filled the oceans
You can care for me
If You call the sunrise
If You paint the starlight
If You hold the whole world
You can care for me
As I reflected on those words, I felt myself grow calmer. If God is who I think God is, then I’m going to be okay. My financial needs, my career, my future will work out. Do I need to plan wisely? Yes. Do I need to work diligently? Yes. Do I need to be anxious? If my beliefs are well placed, no.
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
the Bible, philippians 4:6,7 (New living translation)
I found relief from my anxiety by believing in something bigger than myself. For me, that’s God. For you God may be a non-starter. I completely understand and respect that position. The “bigger than yourself” principle can still apply. Consider a group, an organization, a philosophy, or what twelve-step programs call your “higher power,” whatever you choose that to be. Find something bigger than yourself to believe in, to hold onto, to lean on when the anxious times come. Make it something worthy of your trust. If you do, you’ll find relief and take another step toward Becoming Yourself.
