It was in college that I first began to notice the effects that anxiety was having, not just on my own heart, but on the hearts and lives of everyone around me. I found myself in this constant period of waiting. I was waiting for my anxious thoughts to go away or waiting for the object of my anxiousness to pass. I would say things like, “Maybe once that test is over, I will feel better. Maybe once my finances settle, I will feel at peace. Maybe once I finish this project at work, I can stop worrying.” 

However, I found that I could always find something new to worry about. I was good at finding reasons to be anxious. I still am. My worry and resulting anxiety would not go away, so I turned to God’s Word for a solution. As I dug into Matthew 6, I began to see that my anxiety was a result of the choices that I was making.

“Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” Matthew 6:30

I was continually choosing to give in to worry and fear instead of looking to Christ for help. Sadly, many people around us are making that choice too. It isn’t just young people. It is people of all ages and stages of life. Each of us has something to worry about. But Jesus calls us to make a choice in the moments when we feel our anxiety rising. What choice will I make? What choice will you make? And what choice will we encourage our friends, loved ones, church members, and those we counsel to make? 

Choose Your Mindset: Fear or Faith? 

Jesus chooses the grass of the field as an example. He clothes it and cares for it even though it is temporary, even though tomorrow it will be gone. Jesus looks at you and me and says, “God cares about the grass. He will take care of you. The grass is temporary; your soul is eternal. The grass is a plant; you are my beloved child!”

“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.” Matthew 6:31-32

If God can take care of the grass, the lilies, and the birds, He can take care of you! But accepting that truth and living accordingly is not easy. Choosing faith over fear is not a one-time decision. It means choosing to trust God over and over again in the moments when you are afraid. Will we choose to trust the God who can care for birds, flowers, and grass, and who loves us so much more? 

Choose Your Priority: God’s Kingdom or Yours? 

God tells us to seek his kingdom first, and everything else will fall into place. He has the power to back this promise. But in thinking through this passage, I am confronted with the reality that I often spend most of my time worrying about my little kingdom instead of focusing on things that will matter for eternity.

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33

I struggle with something called the illusion of control. I like the feeling of being in control, when the truth is that I am never really in control. Have you ever been in a situation where you were supposed to be in control but you were not? Talk about a reason to feel anxious! When we try to rule our little kingdoms, we become very anxious very quickly because we aren’t supreme and sovereign no matter how hard we try. 

We serve a God who is in control. He never loses control. If we spend our time serving His kingdom, submitting to His will, and remembering His promises, our kingdom can fade into the background. As we loosen our grip on the areas that cause us to worry, we will experience joy and rest knowing that God is in control of each of those circumstances and He is working all things for our good.

Choose Your Focus: Today or Tomorrow? 

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Matthew 6:34 because it reminds me that Jesus understands what I am going through. He knows that it is painful to live in a fallen and broken world. Jesus understands that today is hard enough as it is, and worrying about the future is too much for us to carry.

“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Matthew 6:34

God guides us through our lives in a day-by-day format. He is sovereign, and He knows how much we can handle. Today may be heavy, but He has planned for that. Our anxiety often comes in when we pick up tomorrow’s problems as well. We then find ourselves carrying a double weight. We cannot give our past or our future the power to rob us of our joy and the opportunity to further God’s kingdom today. One of the greatest gifts we can give to others is that of being present in the moment or developing a “non-anxious” presence. Warren Wiersbe said,

“Someone has said that the average person is crucifying himself between two thieves: the regrets of yesterday and the worries about tomorrow.”

Whether you are wrestling with anxiety yourself, encouraging a friend, or counseling an anxious person, I encourage you to think about these three choices. Will you choose to walk by fear or by faith? Will you choose to serve God’s kingdom or your own? Will you choose to focus on being present today, or will you waste your time and energy worrying about tomorrow? Our mindset is the direct result of how we respond to our feelings and circumstances. When we feel worried, stressed, fearful, or anxious, we have a choice to make. Will we be led by our feelings and circumstances and therefore be held captive by anxiety and worry? Or will we choose to dwell on Christ’s Word and run to Him with our worries?

Paul Tautges in his book Anxiety: Knowing God’s Peace, encourages us to remember

“God watches over those who belong to him. Though he may lead you through dark valleys and deep waters, the Lord is always with you.”

In our fallen world, we can often feel overwhelmed, victimized, and afraid. But God is always with us. We must constantly bring ourselves back to Him, remembering that, when we go through even the most overwhelming circumstances of our lives, He is right beside you and He promises that if you “draw nigh” to Him, He will “draw nigh” to you. (James 4:8) The Choice is Yours.