An Anxious Heart

By Jessica Maske

I remember walking into the church two weeks ago with an excited yet anxious heart. Being my first Sunday at Christus Victor my head was racing with all the possibilities and responsibilities that would come with being an intern.

Anxiety seems to be a problem for many in today’s fast paced world and it seems to become all consuming in many cases with the tasks and responsibilities that we find ourselves in. But the thing with anxiety is that it is always pointed to the future and what might happen. We seem to get ourselves worked up about the future and what might occur that we never take the time to stare at what is right in front of our face in the present.

Jesus begins in Matthew 6:25-34 stating “Therefore I tell you do not worry about your life.” He goes on to describe how God provides for all that we need just like God provides for the lilies of the field and birds of the air. He ends this section giving such great wisdom and yet stating it so simply, “so do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

Jesus is saying something very profound to us here. I had a mentor who explained it to me very well once when I was full of hopelessness about the future. She said, "sometimes we are just called to leave our worry, our anxiety at the foot of the cross and walk away from it. We have to leave our load and give the anxiety over to Jesus and just live for today."

I will admit that this sounds a lot easier than it is. I have struggled with the over-consuming power of anxiety and worry to the point of great despair, but what has always kept me going was the fact that God is present now. God is right there walking along side you and me, ready to bear those thoughts because we can’t do it alone and thanks be to God that we don’t have to!