Anxiety

I went snow skiing for the first time a couple of weeks ago. As I looked down the steep beginner's slope I was truly anxious! Hundreds of others slipped down the slope with ease as I watched for what seemed like hours, dreading the danger which faced me! "If they can do it, I can." I kept thinking. What foiled my confidence is  the many skiers who were falling like dominoes. As one fell, they quickly became crawling roadblocks blocking the path which I had selected. I could feel the anxiety. It wasn't just in my mind, but in the pit of my stomach and weakness from head to toe. 

Then my thoughts were "If I fall I probably won't hurt badly!" Everyone who fell was eventually getting up and I didn't see any stretchers on the hill being used anyhow! However, through the corner of my eye, I did see a stretcher behind a snowmobile. That shook my confidence a little, but against my better judgment, I said a short prayer for safety and started down the slope. Just as I was picking up speed I thought "Silly me, I should have prayed that I not fall!". Since I had yet to learn how to effectively slow down, I was flying high. Out of anxiety I found it easier to fall down than continuing my uncontrolled careen down the steep hill. I fell because of fear, not because I was clumsy. "It's over!" I thought." I'll never do this again!"

Fear and anxiety from fear had just handicapped me.  I was going to relent future adventure although I was perfectly fine. The thrill of it all had outdone me. One problem: I was only 30% down and to get on the lift I had to go the rest of the way down! The last slope was steeper and slicker. There were twice as many people standing in awe (and anxiety) trying to allay anxiety long enough to let go and go. Learning from the last time when I procrastinated, this time I jumped to the front of the line and prayed "God, don't let me fall!" I slipped down the slope traveling at least 200 mph all the while scared silly. At the bottom of the slope amidst scores of people, I fell again. My prayer went unanswered!

Matthew 8:26a  And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?

I prayed and God answers prayers. With enough faith I could move mountains or even walk on water! Peter, when he spotted Jesus, had a "skiing experience":

Matthew 14:28 "And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me."

Peter had "Larry Syndrome". He had fear, anxiety and little faith. Although he was walking with Jesus and Jesus didn't let him down, he let himself down. He succumbed to a human emotion we all have (except maybe Evil Knievel). He fell because he was afraid of the unknown. Peter saw Jesus walking on water, Jesus was doing it, but yet he had a self-interest which caused him to panic. His life was dear to him and he didn't want to drown. Just as I had successfully skiied, but fell out of fear, Peter walked on water and fell out of the same fear.

Anxiety is an emotion which can keep us safe. Just as fear of extreme heat keeps us from touching a hot stove, fear of being hurt keeps us from doing stupid things! Fear along with it's anxiety is a good thing when operating on a normal level. Anxiety is uneasy anticipation, uncertainty, and fear resulting from a realistic or fantasized event or situation which one finds threatening, impairing normal functioning in body and mind.

Let's examine my fear of skiing for the first time. The hill was steep (to me anyhow). That's real. I had reason to fear eminent danger. I stood at the top of the hill and considered all the viable outcomes. I could succeed and be thrilled. I could fall and be unscathed , I could fall and be hurt in pride or minor injury, I could be hurt badly or I could even die! All these outcomes were possible, but some more likely than others!  The consideration of all possible outcomes is anticipation. That's desirable and normal. Again, those who consider all possible outcomes are wise. 

People consider possible outcomes when they feel threatened. I had never zipped down a hill at 30 mph before. I can't even stand up on a skateboard. Knowing my limitations and the threatening situation caused fear. Fear is real! We are all afraid of dire outcomes. Being afraid is a normal emotion, but any irrational fear can be harmful. However, my fear of the slope was irrational! Others, even children, were skiing. This old guy can do it too! How do I overcome the anxiety I have? I step out and do it! "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." said Franklin Roosevelt. I was anxious because I feared fear! 

Once I let go of my fear and stepped out onto the slope, it was no longer fear that I feared. It was the reality of falling and fall I did! Not fearing something doesn't mean you have nothing to fear! I hated to fall because of the threat of pain and injured pride. I overcame my fears by thinking rationally. I could live with hurt pride and I probably won't hurt bad or for long. Rational thinking is the solution to anxiety. Doing what is feared is the best way to overcome fear. Without fear, there is reduced anxiety.

After experiencing downhill skiing three or four trips, my anxiety was gone! I knew that because I was inexperienced that danger was still out there, but no fear, I had skied before. No fear, others have done this hill. No fear, there have seen no serious injuries. All those thoughts are rational thinking and conducive to overcoming anxiety!

Anxiety can be induced by fantasized events as well. There doesn't have to be a threat of real danger, just thoughts of it. I dreamed of falling all night when I was sky diving in my dreams. Although I had never been afraid of heights before, my fantasy made me anxious. I now have an irrational fear of falling from great heights. When I'm climbing a fire tower, I panic at about half-way and feel weak and sick in the pit of my stomach. I irrationally fear fear! Others just went up before me and the tower didn't fall, but I had the fear that it would fall for me or else I would look down and tipple over the edge.

I felt that same fear when mountain climbing! When I looked down, I got sick. Rational thinking tells me to quit looking down! I did just that and although apprehensive, I climbed the mountain! 

Faith in God's protection overcomes anxiety. I know that Jesus is with me and protects me. Shadrack, Meshak and Ebednego didn't fear the firey furnace because they knew that Jesus was right there with them, protecting them from harm. They had faith! Faith allayed their fears. They may have had some normal anxiety, but they didn't scream out as they were fuel for the furnace. They knew that if they went in, Jesus would protect them or they would die and have eternal life! Both were rational thoughts for them!

Anxiety caused me to seek salvation! I feared and my fear was based on reality. I feared that since I was a sinner I deserved eternal punishment. I was afraid that when I died I would go to hell:

Matthew 10:28 "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

I never worried about the intruder, killer traffic or the murderer. My fear was of being destroyed in the lake of fire. Since I was a sinner, I knew that if I died, I was going straight to hell. I was anxious about my eternal well-being and I knew the real danger that lied ahead! As a result I sought salvation!

Being afraid of punishment didn't save me. Devils fear God, but they were damned anyway! (Note that Satan is the destroyer, not God, but God can put a hedge around those who're righteous).  However, fear of everlasting punishment drove me to contemplate God! When I considered the options, a loving God was much more desirable than an evil deceiver. Knowing that God loved me enough to die for me allowed me to consider my fate rationally. It is so simple to admit that I'm a sinner, feel remorse, believe in Jesus and accept his sacrifice than to have anxiety for fear of hell!

I put my pride aside and became meek. I can't make it to heaven on my own. It takes Jesus:

John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

This one passage is profound. I can't do it myself and my fear is realistic! Being "good" is of no value without walking in this faith. Likewise, no one else or no other way will save me. I am dependent. I can't be saved without Jesus! Just what am I saved from? I'm saved from fear of eternal punishment; my just deserves. My anxiety is reduced because I have hope!

David said Acts 2:26 "Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope..."

Hope is the antonym of anxiety. Because I have little faith (compared to Abraham), I have some reservation. However, by experience and the Word, my anxiety is manageable. The more I commune with God the more convinced I become and the more hope I have! With hope my anxiety goes away. Yes, I am human. I have more fear of dying than fear of death. My prayer is that I not linger, but crossover smoothly. I hope to escape the agony that Jesus felt and that his mercy carries me across without pain. 

Faith is the cure for anxiety. As I watched others successfully navigate down the ski slope, I had confidence that I can do it too. However, I was considering myself as my protector. In reality Jesus kept me safe! He wasn't ready for me yet. My confidence in him is my protection:

Ephesians 3:11 "According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: 12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him."