Orthodox Living
Battling Anxiety
Anxiety is the scourge of age . Many people worry and fret continually over little things and big things ; over things they can control and over things they can ’ t control . They worry about the future which they are inclined to see as a threat rather than as a promise . They worry about the past , fearful of its apparent grip upon their lives . They worry about the present and so fail to embrace life . There is no doubt that anxiety is toxic , extremely harmful to body , mind and soul . Anxiety always has the whiff of sulphur about it ; it ’ s the devil ’ s very own brew . Yet a person who is inclined to be anxious should not be fearful on account of his anxiety . That only makes the condition worse . An anxious person needs a particular kind of repentance in order to get better , and since getting better is a progressive and slow process , so also must repentance be continual and measured . As we know ( or should do !) metanoia , the Greek word for repentance , means simply , “ a change of mind .” In other words , the cure for anxiety is simply a different way of thinking , a different way of feeling , a different way of acting . Of course this radical transformation inside our hearts has its source in God not in ourselves . It is our business to work hard at seeking out this transformation , but it is God ’ s goodwill and purpose to carry it out .
When Jesus deals with anxiety He uses as an example one of its most common forms : survival anxiety . How will we get by ? How can I make sure that there is food on the table ? How can I make sure that my kids have reasonable clothes to go to school ? How can I reliably and securely provide for myself and my family ? These are vitally important questions and God cares as much as we do , indeed the more so , about how they are answered . In short , they are answered not by anxiety but by trust . Of course it is anxiety , an unreasonable fear of the unknown , or even life itself , which blocks the very trust in God that can so easily dispel it if , and only if , a soul looks heavenward for divine help . The vicious circle of fear in depression is only lifted by an act of will and faith , sometimes in the very teeth of darkness and despair . This act of will and faith , this decision to begin to trust God for our daily needs , is what cures the anxious soul . This change in our minds and in our hearts is commended by the Lord ’ s prayer itself when we pray : “ give us this day our daily bread .”
Now we should be clear that trusting God is not an excuse or a reason for idleness or inaction in the face of needs or , indeed , adversity . Someone once said that we should pray as if everything depends upon God ( which it does ) and work as if everything depends upon us ( which , to a point , it does ). Undergirding both frames of mind is the conviction that we are indeed safe in God ’ s hands , if we would but put ourselves in those hands and trust Him to provide for our needs even if , at the same time , we work hard to acquire them . This is the synergy , the working together , that we Orthodox emphasise in a holy life . It is something that must be worked at , vigorously ; if necessary - sometimes with blood , sweat and tears ! It is a holy consecration of life based on active hope in God , the Giver of all good gifts . He cares for us ; He will not let us down . The lilies are clothed , the sparrows are cherished , the very hairs on our head are numbered .
To be successful in this struggle for a trusting , hopeful , joyful and anxiety-free life we must be alert to the power of our ancient enemy . The devil will use every trick in the book to get us into a slothful or distracted state so that we cease to fix our gaze on God and put our whole trust in Him . Commonly he uses the concerns and cares of the world around us to achieve this . Jesus referred to this as a Gentile preoccupation . At the time of course , Our Lord was speaking to fellow Jews . There would come a time when the Gentiles would be grafted into the blessing of the people of God , so let us understand “ Gentile ” as a euphemism for being worldly . It is worldliness which stokes our anxieties and , therefore , keeps us from God . Those without faith , the worldly ones , have a fragile hold on a very tenuous hope that , somehow , ‘ things will work out okay .’ Maybe they will , maybe they won ’ t ! It is only faith that can deal with the spoiling of our hopes and dreams , with the disturbance of our peace , with the anxiety as to how we shall survive . It is only faith that can energise us and fill us with that life which is in Christ . If we seek personal security in worldly goods or ideas , then let there be no mistake , we shall perish . The only true security we have is in God and his Kingdom ; the rock rather than the sand upon which we build . As Christ concluded at the end of the Gospel we heard this morning ; His friends and followers must first seek the Father ’ s Kingdom and His righteousness so that anxiety might recede and trust and life prevail , with all our true needs being provided for .
Jesus also added one little epilogue sentence to his teaching , a pithy piece of wisdom and a very practical rule of life for everyone for all time . “ Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow , for tomorrow will be anxious for itself . Let the day ’ s own trouble be sufficient for the day .” ( Matthew 6:34 ) We could summarise this teaching yet further , perhaps , by encouraging ourselves and others to live in the present moment . It is the present moment only which is the interface with life as lived and God as known . Living in the past with either nostalgia or regret , or both . is to have one foot in the grave . To fantasise or dread the future is to put the other foot in the grave as well ! The past is redeemed by our Lord and the future is in His hands ; it is in the present moment that our full energies and attention must be gathered and focused . If we follow Christ ’ s simple teaching that we keep our lives , so to speak , “ in the day ”, then we shall be happy , or rather joyful . Here in the present moment , trusting in the God-who-provides , we shall be clothed as the lilies in the field and provided for even as the birds of the air . Anxiety vanquished !
Fr . Gregory Hallam is Dean at the Antiochian Orthodox Deanery of the United Kingdom and Ireland and priest at St . Aidan ’ s Orthodox Church in Manchester . He is also the author of the Ancient Faith Radio podcast series ‘ A Voice From The Isles ’.
The Apostle ’ s Path 11