I have seen and heard different forms of media discussing another pandemic that is going around. This probably will not surprise you. A lot of us are catching the anxiety bug being spread through news and social media. Unlike a virus, we do not have to physically be in contact with people to catch it. We can catch anxiety from the comfort of our own home just by picking up our phones and tuning in to what is going on.
Should I be concerned?
Anxiety is actually a natural response to this type of situation. It is part of our survival instinct. We do not have to guilt ourselves for feeling anxious. We are going through a lot of changes that are greatly impacting on our day-to-day lives. Anxiety can be a positive motivator to help us adapt to these changes. Being anxious is a problem when we get stuck in it, or when it motivates us to make hurtful choices. There are two questions we can ask ourselves.
Question #1: What am I doing with the anxiety I am feeling?
Question #2 Is this response helpful or hurtful?
We can learn a little bit more about anxiety through negative reinforcement. In negative reinforcement, we have something that triggers a behavior and then a reward for that action.
Negative Reinforcement: Trigger > Behavior > Reward
In this case, the trigger is anxiety. To create a new behavior in place of negative behaviors, we need to first ask ourselves. Do we really like the reward from our current response, or is there another behavior we could choose that offers a better reward? Bringing full awareness to our behaviors, feelings, and motives helps us make a change.
How does this apply to what the Bible says?
I wondered how we could apply this to what we know from the Bible? So, I started looking at verses that talk about anxiety. I quickly realized that not only are these verses giving us alternative behaviors to the trigger of anxiety, but those behaviors also offer us pretty incredible rewards. In this blog, I want to go through these verses and look at those alternative behaviors and the rewards we get from those behaviors.
Psalms 94:19
In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul (NKJV).
Behavior:
In this verse, we see the Psalmist seeking out God’s comfort. One You-tuber I like to keep up with suggested starting your morning out with an uplifting message before you look at news or social media. In your phone settings under “screen time,” you can give your phone a “downtime.” During downtime all your apps are locked except for the ones you choose to keep unlocked. I have my downtime set for two hours after I get up in the morning. This gives me plenty of time to make sure I get my uplifting message in before checking out social media.
Reward:
The rewards we get from taking this action are comfort and delight. I like that this verse says “delight my soul.” To me, this implies deep delight.
Philippians 4:6
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 (NKJV).
Behavior:
Instead of dwelling on worrisome thoughts, give those thoughts and worries over to God through prayer. I love to prayer journal/pray at night. Having the chance to voice my worries helps me rest a little easier.
Reward:
Through praying, I see two rewards here. We have so many promises in the Bible that God hears our prayers. A lot of the things we worry over are outside of our realm of control. When we pray, we are taking it to the One who is in control. The second reward sounds awesome – peace that passes understanding. How incredible to be so at peace that you cannot even express how peaceful you are. Just that thought is mind-boggling, is it not?
1 Peter 5:7
casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you (ESV).
Behavior:
The behavior in this verse is the same as the one above; however, we see a different reward.
Reward:
Through casting our anxieties to God, we also gain validation someone cares enough to listen to our struggles.
Matthew 6:25-29
Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil not spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Behavior:
The behavior I notice in this verse is to take notice of how God cares for his creation. If you love taking your hammock out and enjoying some sunshine, this is the perfect excuse to spend some time lounging in the sun. 😉 God keeps so many things held in a perfect balance so that his creation has what it needs.
Reward:
The reward we gain from dwelling on how God cares for his creation is validation that we have value. There is so much going on in the world that we can often feel insignificant in the grandeur of it all. Through dwelling on how God takes care of his creation, we notice that He is in even the little details. If God will take care of the little details, how much more will He lovingly care for someone His Son died for?
Matthew 6:31-33
Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear? For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Behavior:
The Second behavior is to seek first the kingdom of God (take action). One of the worst things we can do with anxiety is to sit in it. How can we get up and get active? I have been so encouraged by the many people who are choosing to take action. Many are putting up posts offering encouragement or good humor, sharing ideas of how to make this time less stressful, giving away resources, or sharing information to help people who are struggling. There are so many ways we can take godly actions and shine the light of the kingdom in this time.
Rewards:
Through getting out and making a difference, we build community and connection with others. We also have the satisfaction of knowing we are working in our purpose. No matter what the future may hold, we have done something to make it brighter, and we have brought glory to our Father.
What are your thoughts?
I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Are there other behaviors with incredible rewards mentioned in the Bible that I missed? Are you taking some actions to reach out and spread the light of the kingdom? I would love for you to share them so we can all be inspired and encouraged. Please comment below with your thoughts and ideas.
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