A Peace That Passes

“Some people feel guilty about their anxieties and regard them as a defect of faith. I don’t agree at all. They are afflictions, not sins. Like all afflictions, they are, if we can so take them, our share in the passion of Christ.”
-Clive Staples Lewis

As I write my thoughts down on paper for each week’s newsletter, I always dig into all of the influences around me—people, current events, the sports world, etc…analyzing how I could find something memorable enough for each one of us to walk away with every Monday. It’s my hope that each week I can strike a chord with some of you readers. It’s my analytical side that is most often used when digging up what the Lord might put on my heart to share with others. As I move forward in my faith, and speak with more and more people who are continually influencing my perceptions of life, I can’t help but dig deeper and deeper into what my faith means for my life, and how it needs to change who I am as a person. So often, I’ll feel an anxiousness in my mind and heart that paralyzes me in my faith.

I think all of us, at some time or another, have felt anxiety over what the future might hold, especially at this time in American history. Our economy has been shaken and taken our confidence right along with it. Our moral standards as a nation have been compromised oh so much. Not to mention, we have all of our personal situations that bring enough anxiety into our lives as well.

The problem is that when our hearts and minds begin to feel restless and anxious, many of the Christian leaders and churches of our day have called that sin, pushing us further to the edge in the form of guilt. Scripture is quoted, telling us to not worry and trust in God. But I’m then quickly reminded of Jesus’ anxiety before He was put on the cross in the garden of Gethsemane. His anxiety drove him to a private, quiet place to turn to the Lord. Let me ask you, do you think Abraham felt anxiety when he was called to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, to the Lord? Clearly. Do you think David was anxious while staring down Goliath? Definitely. Do you think Moses was anxious when the Egyptian army was in hot pursuit of him while he was pinned against the Red Sea? Absolutely. But that’s what makes us human. That’s what made Jesus Christ fully human and fully God at the same time. He experienced the same anxieties we experience every day as we analyze the world around us, and how we fit into God’s perfect plan.

There is nothing wrong with feeling a sense of restlessness or nervousness about what large and small scale issues are taking place in and around you. This affliction transforms into sin when you turn to something other than your Creator, the Lord, to calm your spirit and ease your mind.

So, what’s the point? When you are anxious about anything, don’t beat yourself up with guilt, thinking you have such little faith. But rather, have faith that the Lord can deliver you, and turn to Him.

He promises a peace that passes all understanding. Grab onto it!