I don’t know about you, but I do know that in my little world there is a lot of anxiety. To begin with there are two wars that we are watching; one in Ukraine and the other in Israel. As if that wasn’t enough we are all caught up in the divisions in our nation, our state, our communities, and in some cases even our families.
In a lot of people’s lives there are challenges with jobs, home repairs, school, car repairs, bills, bills, and did I mention bills. Then we have our relationships with friends, enemies and family members that are always in flux. For some there is the pain of a lost pet, the anguish of a lost loved one, the misery of physical and/or emotional pain, and all the inner struggles we face.
But wait, there is actually more, if I dare. Our church lives are filled with change and anxiety now maybe more than ever. Declines in numbers, changes in weekly formats, and the shifting of our leaders and friends all make a place that is supposed to be safe a daunting adventure.
So as you can see, and I have not covered everything, lives are filled with anxiety at every level. The question before us even before the alarm clock stops ringing is how are we to manage this anxiety. Well, I wish it was an easy answer, but it’s not. The first thing to do is to acknowledge that we are, all of us, living in anxious times. We are constantly being bombarded by a constantly changing spectrum of life events that are in large part not in our control.
I would like to offer some, hopefully, helpful suggestions.
First off, acknowledge what you cannot control. I cannot control the wars, the economy, how people respond to me, and many other things. The things I cannot control I need not accept, but neither do I need to lose sleep over. While I need to be aware, I need not let my emotions or my focus get derailed from the things I can affect.
Secondly, we are all people. We are worthy of dignity, respect, and love. If our friends and family are not giving those things to us, and we are not giving it in turn or at the outset, then we need to alter our relationships. This may call for ending a relationship, or working openly at it. We do have a measure of control over how we interact with others.
Thirdly, while I recognize that we may feel as if we have too many problems to count, it might help if we simply worked at one problem. Not everyone is an effective multi-tasker. Pick one problem, and work at it. Don’t worry. The other problems won’t escape. Prioritize either based on importance or immediacy, but dedicate to one challenge. After all, you are only one person.
And finally for this morning, take care of yourself. Read a book. Eat a good meal. Take a nap. Take a walk. Play a game. Work on a hobby. If possible, take a vacation. Take care of yourself might need to be the first thing you do. After all, if you don’t take care of you, you won’t be able to take care of anything. Even Jesus took some breaks.
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