Fear and Anxiety
One of my favorite Bible verses is 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you.” I think it’s one of my favorite verses because I tend to worry more than I should. These worries build up into fears or anxiety. Being a mom has NOT made that struggle less challenging. There’s just so many things that can enter your mind to cause you to worry—your marriage relationship, job, finances, children’s safety and well being, health, education, and the list goes on.
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I recently heard a sermon on fear and anxiety that helped me learn how to find peace, so I thought I’d share the highlights and some changes I’ve made.
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Philippians 4:8-9
Here’s an interesting thought…
“Of all that we worry about, statistics say: 85% of those things will never happen. 30% regard things in the past that we can’t change. 12% pertains to criticism by others, which is mostly untrue. 10% is health related, which gets worse with stress. And only 8% deals with real problems that we will face.” -Randy Smith
So, 92% of the things we worry about are not real concerns or things we have no control over. That was a big slap in the face for me.
Paul went through some pretty terrible circumstances in his life. He was beaten, stoned, put in jail, and persecuted for his beliefs. You would think he would be worried. He had the right to be anxious and fearful, but yet he had peace. How did he get that kind of peace?
In verse 8, Paul is telling us how to get peace—a peace that passes all understanding. Paul is telling us to change how we think. We shouldn’t focus on the worries and fears. We need to change how we think. We should think about things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise. Thinking about these things will help us put our focus in the right direction—on the one that can take our anxiousness, on the one that can provide peace—God.
Mediating is not about emptying your mind, it’s about filling your mind up. We need to fill our mind with the things Paul mentions in verse 8. It’s like the saying goes, “trash in, trash out.” If we only fill our minds with worrisome thoughts, then that’s what going to be produced and displayed in our life. We listen to our thoughts a lot, but do we actually question them and challenge them? The next time you have a worry ask that worry if it’s true, is it pure, is it honorable, is it just, is it pure, is it lovely, is it commendable, is it excellent, is it worthy of praise. The chances are that it’s none of those things (because only 8% of worries are real life problems).
In verse 9, Paul asks us to practice filling our mind with true, honorable, and worthy thoughts. It’s unlikely you can be good at something without practice. Practice makes progress, and eventually the peace will begin to outshine the fear and anxiety.
Ways to Practice finding Peace
Pray - It’s hard to have a relationship with someone when you don’t speak to them. God wants a relationship with you, so you have to speak to Him. Ask Him for peace. Ask Him to remove the worries. I like to journal when I pray in the morning. This helps me to see God at work in my life.
Stop watching the news - During covid the news brought me so much anxiety so I had to turn it off, and I really haven’t turned it back on. So often the news is not true, honorable, pure, lovely, commendable, just, excellent, or worthy of praise so I choose not to let it enter my thoughts.
Practice gratitude - In my prayer journal, I like to write down 3 things I’m grateful each day. If you need a gratitude journal—check this one out. This helps me to start my day with good thoughts. We also like to do this as a family at dinner each night. We’ve been playing this in a fun way through a game called “High, Low, Buffalo.” You say one high (something you’re grateful for or that was really great about your day), one low (something that didn’t go so well with your day), and one buffalo (something that surprised you during the day).
Question my thoughts - When worries start to cloud my mind I try my best to question them against the 9 things Paul lists out in Philippians 4:8. Sometimes it’s hard to remember to stop and question my thoughts, but the more I practice the easier it becomes.
Surround myself with positive people - I try to surround myself with people that will build me up, that will encourage me to seek God’s truths, and that will speak true words. These people will help bring peace. Unfortunately, not everyone I come in contact with is positive so I have to keep my guard up and keep a safe distance.
Back to my favorite Bible verse, 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you.” It’s so comforting to know I have someone I can give all those worries and fears to. I don’t have to hold onto them. If you struggle with worry, fear, or anxiety, I pray you find peace and comfort in the ultimate comforter—God.
