It’s a low-grade fear. An edginess, a dread. A cold wind that won’t stop howling.
It’s not so much a storm as it is the certainty that one is coming. Always . . . coming. Sunny days are just an interlude. You can’t relax. Can’t let your guard down. All peace is temporary, short-term.
So you don’t sleep well.
You don’t laugh often.
You don’t enjoy the sun.
You don’t whistle as you walk.
And when others do, you give them a look. That look. That “are you naive” look. You may even give them a word. “Haven’t you read the news and heard the reports and seen the studies?”
Airplanes fall out of the sky. Bull markets go bear. Terrorists terrorize. Good people turn bad. The other shoe will drop. Fine print will be found. Misfortune lurks out there; it’s just a matter of time.
Anxiety and fear are cousins but not twins. Fear sees a threat. Anxiety imagines one.
Fear screams, Get out!
Anxiety ponders, What if?
Could you use some calm? God is ready to give it.
With God as your helper, you will sleep better tonight and smile more tomorrow. You’ll reframe the way you face your fears. You’ll learn how to talk yourself off the ledge, view bad news through the lens of sovereignty, discern the lies of Satan, and tell yourself the truth.
ANXIETY COMES WITH LIFE. BUT IT DOESN’T HAVE TO DOMINATE YOUR LIFE.
Anxiety comes with life. But it doesn’t have to dominate your life.