How To Deal With Today's Anxiety

I have this habit of scratching when I'm nervous or afraid. Often I don't even realize that I'm doing it until I notice some blotches on my skin. Others I know start to stutter or blink their eyes rapidly or twitch their mouth. We all manifest anxiety or fear one way or another. In the most extreme situations people become hypochondriacs.

For hypochondriacs everyday functions become obsessions. They misinterpret normal bodily functions. A rapid heart rate is probably a heart attack. Sweating must mean kidney failure. Hunger pangs and fatigue obviously mean the onset of some form of cancer. Surely I must quickly get to the emergency room or at least obtain another doctor's appointment today, tomorrow at the very latest.

Sometimes I wonder if Psalm writer David was not a bit of a hypochondriac. Take Psalm 39:1-13 for instance. He starts out by talking to himself. He is absolutely going to restrain himself before those total idiots he has to work with. He suspects they're out to get him one way or another. He gets so troubled by this that he starts burning up inside. This is bad, really bad.

But then he shifts and I realize these are not the words of a hypochondriac. These are the words of a devout man troubled not merely by what men say or think, but about the brevity of life. I can relate directly to that. He is aware that he can measure his days with a few handbreadths. Life is but a mere breath, a shadow. Why is that? Why do we all die? Why do we even concern ourselves about this?

Many years ago I distinctly recall stumbling across a passage from King Solomon's disturbing writings. He wrote, "God has made everything beautiful in its time." That, I thought, is true. We can sing about that. But then he went on, "Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end" (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

How easy it would be for David, Solomon and me if we were like dogs. Mine in particular is quite incapable of worrying about the brevity of his life. He has a problem with seizures every couple months. The vet says he can do little about that problem other than to dumb him down with some drugs. Neither my pet nor I want that, so when a seizure comes I hold him tight and we tremble through it together. After its over, he bounces up in about an hour and is ready to move on the same as always. He is not capable of all the fretting and fussing the two kings and I go through.

But we're not dogs. We are the cap of God's creation, bearing His very image within, made by Him for eternity. We can do nothing other than to beg our Creator, "look away from me" (Psalm 39:13). Please, God, do not look me in the eye and tell me again how I have messed up, failed and deserve to be utterly forsaken by You—forever! Help me before I depart and am no more.

And then I hear another cry from a direct descendant of King David. I see Him hanging on a Roman cross, crying out in Syro-Chaldaic, his native tongue, the words of another of David's psalms (Psalm 22:1), "Eli, Eli lama sabachthani?" Matthew interprets the strange words, "That is, My God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46).

As I hear those words my hypochondria begins to dissipate like morning fog. I realize again that He hung there so I can begin this day with a smile on my face. I am forgiven. My God is my heavenly Father who, for Christ's sake, has forgiven me. And when I depart, I will not cease to be, but I will dwell in the Father's house and among His children forever.

Jesus is Alive in His branches

We used to have three beautiful plum trees growing alongside our driveway. I watered them, trimmed and fertilized them with tender, loving care. They, in turn, produced every spring. The plums were so very delicious. I only wish we had not moved or when we did that we could have taken those trees with us.

Christians often get into long discussions about fruit bearing. I don't mean trees, but people. How necessary is it for a Christian, one who has accepted Jesus Christ as his/her Savior and Lord, to do good works? And can one be a Christian without some evidence that the Spirit of Jesus lives within?

Jesus commented about this and John recorded it in John 15:1-17. There our Lord pointed out that we are not the tree, but rather branches. The tree he spoke about was a grape vine. Like my plum tree, the grape vine in all its wondrous varieties, puts out branches from which those great clusters grow. Harvest the grapes and turn them into jelly, juice and wine. Ah, the joy.

Check it out. Wherever there are believers, there are good works. People care for the sick in Rochester, adopt orphaned children of Haiti, drill wells in Africa so people can water their crops and start food banks for unemployed in Cleveland. The varieties are endless, but the evidence is everywhere. The Spirit of the living Christ is at work in His branches.

The whole discussion about whether believers must do good works begs the question. I never got into any such discussion with my plum trees. It would have been pointless even if I could. They'd simply reply, "Master, that's what we are and that's what we do."

The Difficult and Dangerous Task of Truth Telling

Over breakfast this morning my friend and I got into a long discussion of truth. Does anyone tell the truth? we wondered. This all started because I was reflecting upon the Gospel lesson read in many Christian churches last Sunday (Luke 4:31-37). Jesus had been rejected by the folks from his home town, Nazareth. From there he made his way to the coast of the inland Sea of Galilee and the town of Capernaum where he taught in their synagogue on the Sabbath. In this synagogue, Luke reports, was a man who had "the spirit of an unclean demon."

From what I read, all demons are liars, since they serve the devil, who by nature is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). Did the members of that synagogue's congregation assume this person had the spirit of an unclean demon because he was an inveterate liar? How many people today have such a spirit? And if they are among a body of worshippers, why are they permitted to remain and to spread their demonic influence?

I had a host of similar questions banging around in my head. We decided that all we could do was to make some guesses about this liar and his demon. Yet the discussion did lead us to reflect upon how vital it is for any community to strive for the truth, even though telling the whole truth is difficult and can be dangerous. Some examples found by Googling:

• Attorney James S.D. Johnson reflects upon the danger of accommodating Darwinism through false testimony. Christians make far too many compromises, he writes. 

• An organization pleads for the truth in labeling. The author worries about the dangers of MSG: a neurotoxic flavor enhancer. 

• A man is even afraid to reveal his name as he berates the I.R.S. for its lies about his wife's tax problems. The search for the truth, he writes, is a dangerous thing. 

The list goes on. Others worry about half truths being equally as dangerous as outright lies, if not more so.

Later on in his ministry the Lord Jesus did not only meet people who had the spirit of a lying demon. He met people who accused him of having a demon (John 8:48-50). His response to all their slander was straightforward. "Because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, who do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God" (John 8:45-47).

Truth will ever remain an elusive thing in this world. The challenge we all face is to own up to our own accommodating to its lies and the liars. We need to turn away from our own lies and find forgiveness and daily renewal in Him who is the way to the Father. He is the very embodiment of the Truth and when his Spirit dwells within us lies and the demons that encourage them must flee.