The anti-anxious path

“Do not be anxious”
– Jesus (Matthew 6:25)

The simplicity of this statement does not imply the simplicity of the solution.

Anxiety is not a measure of spiritual maturity, or lack thereof. It’s a weapon from the evil one. And it’s best to think about it like this.

Anxiety at its core is a void. And so our job is to find the right tools to help us replace that void.

For some, the best tool for anxiety is simply a better mindset. For others, it may be the right prescription bottle. That’s okay.

Knowing the difficulty we’d have here, Jesus gives us a guideline to focus on. A few verses later, he concludes with: in all things, “put the the kingdom first.”

Not everything gets fixed in this life. (Jesus did not promise we won’t have anxiety here.) But Isaiah 65 and Revelation 21 both show us a world completely restored. When anxiety will be truly gone.

We know this is coming.

But today, our path is to practice, to learn, to forgive (others and ourselves), and to not give up. That’s how we focus on the kingdom. And that’s how we work toward Jesus’ instruction.

The command is not simplistic. But it is a reflection of hope. Of the bigger (and better) thing to come.