Meeting anxiety with gratitude.
As I have stated in a previous post, I do not memorize Bible verses easily. I hear of rabbis who have the entire Torah (if not the entire Old Testament) memorized and am more than slightly awed and envious, while I also realize that's their life's work.
That being said, the verses I do know by heart always mean something a little extra for me. One of them is 1 Peter 5:7, “…casting all your cares on Him, for He cares for you" (NKJV). I distinctly recall a Sunday school teacher telling me this verse when I was in third grade, and I memorized it shortly afterward. I was worried about my little sister having surgery (don't worry, it all went well), and this Bible verse spoke directly to my situation at the time.
1 Peter 5:7 is one I come back to frequently. For years, I have worked through varying anxiety levels from the one extreme of little to none to the other extreme of "I can't breathe, I'm so freaked out." Change and newness are sure to bring about some level of anxiety, and at those times, I find myself dealing with it yet again.
This year I happen to not only be in a new school but also working in a teaching position that I have never held before. There is plenty of newness to be causing me anxiety. Some days I certainly manage it better than others, but I find that trying to stay busy only shoves the tension a little deeper.
In my efforts to meet my anxiety head-on this year, I decided to keep a gratitude notebook at work. Every morning I date a new page and begin a list. Throughout the day, when I have a few seconds, I'll add another moment or two to the list. My lists consist of things small and large, things that happen at school, on my commute, and at home. When I pause to reread my list for the day or even a previous day, I brought more fully into the present moment. I don't have the headspace to worry about the next moment or hour or day or year.
This practice is intentional; sometimes, it's a little boring, and other times it's hard to come up with something to write. Yet every list reminds me of the goodness and presence of God in each moment of my day. My anxiety eases, my worries become smaller, and I can focus on giving thanks.
Paul writes to the Philippians, “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (4:6-7, CSB). I could easily turn my gratitude list into a prayer request list, but I notice that when I focus on giving thanks, I experience God's peace all the more. And many times, I find myself recording acts of God’s faithfulness and answers to prayers that I may not have realized I even had.
What has you concerned or anxious today? How can you turn the tables on your anxiety and give it to God by expressing your gratitude for His goodness and presence?
