Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.”
NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, August 10, 2022
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
I have an anxiety disorder. My whole life, actually. It morphed into Major Depression beginning with puberty and recurring periodically until I was diagnosed at 25 and went on medication. An anxiety disorder, or as I call it “Capital A Anxiety,” is a completely different animal than the anxiety the writer of First Peter is talking about. That “lowercase a anxiety” is felt by everyone at some point in their lives. Life is, at its core, completely uncertain. Nothing is guaranteed, and we human beings are hardwired by evolution for survival. Anytime we are unsure of our circumstances we experience anxiety until we can again feel like we are in control of the situation.
But as finite human beings, our control is illusory. Trying to manage our anxiety by trying to control everyone and everything around us will inevitably lead to more anxiety in the long run. The only solution I have found to my “lowercase a” anxieties is turning them over to the only one who has any sort of real control in the universe: God. God can take them all on and handle them for me. I can let go of all the things that are above my pay grade (which is just about everything) and focus on what is in front of me to do. It’s an enormous relief when I remember to do this. I feel loved and cared for and free to be and do what God wills for my life, for which I am deeply grateful.
What things in my life cause me anxiety? How do I manage my anxieties?