The Seesawing of Anxiety & Faith

Consider the ravens; Consider the lilies.
Luke 12

Jesus uses the birds of the air–ravens–and the flowers of the field–lilies–as an object lesson. He often does this and, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear, we are to pick up on the reality that he is showing us that the world he created communicates much more about him than we might think at first glance. (But that is a topic for another time.) The lesson Jesus teaches his followers is simply this: do not be anxious. Rather than our anxiety running the show, we are to be people of faith who seek after the Father's kingdom, for he will provide what we need.

I find an anxious spirit to be the schoolyard bully to the calm daughter of faith. They are like two children on a playground seesaw. At times we are caught in the middle of their back-and-forth. The allure of being anxious about a great many things seems to convey the sense of: I'm doing a lot; I'm accomplishing a lot, because I move from thing to thing to thing. Increased pace equates to increased effectiveness, right?

But faith, places her gentle hand on the shoulder and says: trust Him. The frenetic pace of anxiety is like the aggressive growth of thorns and thistles. They grow quickly yet they wreak havoc. The pace of faith is a slow(er) one, yet it produces rich and delicious fruit, an offering to God.

When the schoolyard bully of anxiety grabs you by the hair, when the thorns and thistles that are the cares of this world begin to choke your life, respond with a simple prayer: "I am yours; save me." (Ps 119:94) Though they are simple words, they convey the heart of faith, faith in your heavenly Father.

– Matthew+