Our anxious thoughts force us to think about what’s happening inside of us.  What is happening to me and when will it end (heart attack, pass out, stop breathing, etc)?  Am I going to die from this?  Will this be with me forever?  I can’t continue to live like this.  As parents we also think about how my children will make it without me?  How will my spouse manage if I should die?  Our thoughts overwhelm us until finally we just say, “I give up, maybe it would be better if I died.” At least these feelings would be gone.  And just then our anxiety subsides a little – just enough for us to get a brief reprieve or a much needed nap.  But then it starts all over again.  Ugh!!!

S0, what is it you believe about the world, how you got here, who is in control of the universe, etc.  I will sit with people and go through a series of questions that lead us to our basic beliefs about the world.  Once answered I find that individuals can start getting the upper hand on anxiety.

Do you believe that God is:

• Omipotent (All-powerful) – That He is in control of everything in the world;  That He created all things and by His hand all things are held together?
• Omniscient (All-knowing) – That nothing escapes God’s watchful eye;  That He sees all things and knows all things;  That He knows the very number of the hairs on your head?
• Omni-present (Everywhere present at all times) – That no matter whether you are in the midst of the Amazon basin, or the politically unstable country of Congo, or in your very own living room that God is there with you?
• Omni-benevolent (All-loving) – That God always has your best interest in mind; that He acts in your best interest daily and that He even died a human death for you because He loves you?
• Immutable (Unchanging) – That God is the same yesterday, today and forever; that He is not fickle, always faltering between two opinions; that His actions are always consistent with His nature?

I could go on and sometimes do, but just ponder these five things for a moment.  If these attributes are true of God, then I can begin tackling my anxieties.  By the way, these are basic Biblical truths that every Christian and Jew ought to know and believe.  The real question is do we believe them, I mean really believe them.  If we do what should begin to happen to our anxieties?

There is more to do than just believe so stay tuned for the next post.