When we look at the world around us, we see many people wearing a mask. No. This is not that ‘mask’ which people wear to protect themselves and others from COVID-19. This is the mask that people put on, to show the world a different picture from what they truly are inside . We see people smiling and laughing in front of the world, but if we take a closer look at their lives, we probably would see a very anxious heart, living in fear of the future and uncertainty about tomorrow.
Dr. G. Keith Olson (Counseling Teenagers, p. 331.) defines anxiety as – “..the experience of unrest, apprehension, dread or agitated worry. It has been described as a fear in the absence of real danger, or a fear of something that is not clearly understood.”
Anxiety affects all
Anxiety affects people of all ages. A student is anxious about his or her future or career, a middle-aged person is anxious about their job’s security, financial security and the future of their children, an older person is anxious about health and probably even their death. But the fact which we all know from within is that, being anxious about something adds no value to our future. Anxiety can be explained away as natural human emotion, but anxiety about the future makes the present ineffective. How is it, that we, mortal human beings, can overcome anxiety in our lives?
The cure for anxiety
There is a verse in the Holy bible which says ‘Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:6,7 NKJV). This verse teaches us that we cannot simply stop being anxious as this comes naturally to human beings. But we certainly can hand over the anxiety of our lives to God. When we hand our anxieties to God, then we are promised that the peace of God, which is beyond our understanding, will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
The comfort
There couldn’t be a better place to lay the burdens of our life. The God who made the heavens and the earth. The God who knows the beginning and the end of our lives. He who formed us in our mother’s womb. The One who is the mastermind behind every small and great thing in our life. If He has promised to guard our hearts and minds with the peace “that surpasses all understanding”, then why should we go looking for any other source of comfort in our life? Have you sought this peace? Would you like to seek this comforting peace that He is willing to provide?