Guest Blogger...

Since I have had no time to sit and blog, even though I should only be sitting, here is a really great blog my dad sent me from a friend of his on anxiety. Enjoy!

Overcoming Anxiety 
The salt water was clear and warm, perfect for a morning dive. The waves had flattened out to small rollers and there was virtually no wind. I adjusted my mask and fins, and took a deep breath before plunging below the surface.

1. I was free diving off the coast of Florida on a Saturday morning. I was a few hundred yards off shore in water 15 to 20 feet deep. The plan was to scour the bottom for sand dollars. There was no real agenda; it was just a nice way to spend a morning. I wore a weighted belt to help propel me to the bottom faster. My black mesh dive bag was attached to my belt by a clip on my left side, just waiting to hold any treasure I might find.

Now, whenever I am in the water off the coast of Florida, I am aware that there are sharks around me. Before you panic, please understand you have a better chance of being killed by a dog in the United States than of being bitten by a shark. In Florida, you have a better chance of being struck by lightning. And every year, more people win the lottery than get bit by a shark. So, really folks, it’s not that big of a deal. I could go on and on but it seems futile to try and win over folks who have just finished watching Shark Week on the Discovery channel.

Mind you, I am not foolish. I always take precautions. I don’t swim at dusk and dawn when fish are more actively feeding. And I never swim at night. That would be crazy, even for my standards.

So it is mid-morning and I have made several dives to the bottom and already have a bit of a haul in my dive bag. I rose to the surface with several sand dollars clenched in my hand and blew out my snorkel, clearing the air way for a breath of fresh air. Treading water with my face and mask still below the surface, I reached over to my left to put the sand dollars in the dive bag and discovered the bag was missing. “Oh, no” I thought. Somehow it had come unclipped and I had no idea if I would be able to find it again. Frantically I looked around off to my left to see if I could spot it in the water somewhere.  

In that moment, in my peripheral vision, I saw a dark object coming in at me from my right side. In a split-second I panicked. I wheeled around to face the attack, thrashing in the water, my mind reeling. But by that point it was already right next to my right side.

It was my dive bag.

The dive belt was still attached to my weight belt with the clip. But somehow, while I was diving, the whole belt shifted around so that now the bag was on my right side. I looked around to see if anyone else had witnessed the drama, comforted that no one seemed to notice.

I had momentarily been terrified over nothing but a mesh dive bag. And I do mean terrified. And when you think about  it, not many people get killed by dive bags each year. It’s probably not very high on the list.

But sometimes that’s just the way we react. Before we have all the facts, we momentarily lose it. Looking back, we hope that no one noticed how overly dramatic we were when the situation turned out to be not quite as bad as it seemed.

I’m talking about life, of course, and those situations we face that seem frightening but in hind sight are really not that big of a deal.

The key is to remember the facts. What are the facts? Here are a few to consider:

1. My situation has not taken God by surprise. He knows everything.

2. God knows the future plans he has for me, plans that include the events of today.

3. God loves me more than I can possibly imagine.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be anxious. It is something God convicted me about a few weeks ago. When I am anxious, it is a sign that something is out of whack in my relationship with God. At its heart, anxiety is a breakdown in trust. It says “I know what the Bible says about God and his character, but I don’t really believe it.”

Matthew 6 is the passage that God led me to at the height of my anxiety. Three times Jesus says “therefore, do not be  anxious.” You can read it for yourself in verses 18 through 34. Each time he says this, it is in response to a specific issue he is addressing.

The first time he makes this statement, it follows his command to not store up treasures here on earth but instead, to store up treasure in heaven. When I fail to follow this command, it leads to a place of anxiety. In my opinion, the vast majority of issues we face in North America are a result of the failure to follow this one simple command. “You cannot serve God and money. Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious….” So much of our stress revolves around the fear of losing something God said we were not supposed to store up on this earth anyway.

The second time he makes this statement, it follows his teaching on understanding my value to himself. If God cares for the needs of a bird, will he not much more feed you? Are you not much more valuable then a bird? Therefore, do not be anxious.

The final time he says this, it is immediately after he tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. When I fail to do this and instead seek after my own kingdom, my own authority to run my life, it leads to a place of anxiety every time. But when I am seeking God’s kingdom, - his authority, his dominion, his right to my life - then I have nothing to worry about. God has it all under control. Therefore, do not be anxious.

Friend, where are you at in your life today? Is there something you are anxious about? Is it just possible that you are panicking over something that will seem silly looking back from eternity’s shore? Remember the facts. Remember not to store up your treasures here, but to store them up in heaven instead. Remember how valuable you are to God. And  remember he has it all under control.

Till next month,