“Perpetual anxiety is the mental alarm system that never quite turns off. Limited anxiety is helpful. We need to be alerted to danger. What we don’t need is to live in a state of high alert.”- Max Lucado
“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”- Colossians 1:17 (NIV)
In Chapter 4 (“Rejoice in the Lord Always”) of Anxious for Nothing, Max Lucado underscores that God uses everything to accomplish His will. Even the two almond-shaped neural clusters residing in your brain – the amygdalae. They prompt the fight or flight response. Therefore, limited anxiety is helpful. On the other hand, Pastor Lucado classifies perpetual anxiety as “amygdalae with an itchy trigger finger.”
However, Max observes, God may very well use the words of the apostle Paul to calm our neural clusters. Paul tells us in Philippians 4:4 to “rejoice in the Lord always.” When things head south, though, as they did for Joseph in Egypt, there’s plenty of time to give up. Plenty of time to wonder. During such times we need to affirm that God’s personally and powerfully involved in His creation.
As we read in Hebrews 1:3 (NIV), “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” Most noteworthy, Max states that the Greek word commonly translated as sustaining refers to a term regularly used in the New Testament. That term means “carrying” or “bringing.” For example. when the friends carried the paralyzed man to Jesus, they sustained the man. Thus, they guaranteed safe delivery.
In addition, the use of the present participle implies Jesus’ continual activity in His creation. Therefore, Jesus exercises dominion over all things. Furthermore, He directs creation toward a desired aim.
Today’s question: Would you describe your default setting as limited or perpetual anxiety? Please share.
New addition to Crown Jewels: “The greatest moment of your life”
Tomorrow’s blog: “God’s resignation? = our evaporation”
