Anxious thoughts plague us sometimes. Worries, fears, and concerns are very real, and those anxious thoughts can be debilitating.
What can we do about that?
The answer lies in a two-step process.
First, “consider your ways.” I love the scripture in Haggai, Chapter 1, beginning with verse 5.
5 Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.
6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
7 ¶ Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.
The Lord is telling Haggai to talk to the people and help them understand. They had problems, and they wanted to find the answers they needed. It’s interesting, that what The Lord told them was first, to stop, and to “consider their ways.” Many times when I have a problem, what I want is this:
An immediate solution that will simply take away the problem.
The Lord rarely works that way. We are supposed to grow and learn, and to have experiences. So each new problem or difficult or challenge is an opportunity to grow, and to become more like our Savior. That’s really the issue, as the Lord sees it. How can He help us use this particular situation to become more like HIm? How can He help us develop more confidence in Him, or more patience, or more ability to understand, or help us gain more strength? That’s HIS goal.
Many times, though, I forget that eternal perspective, and what I simply want is to “be out” of the problem. I don’t particularly want to be stronger, or more patient or kind. I just want “out.”
Yet the Lord does not always give me what I think I want. He gives me what will be best for me.
So - consider our ways. That’s the first step.
The second step is to do this:
Combine anxiety with faith.
Jacob 1:5 says: For because of faith and great anxiety, it truly had been made manifest unto us concerning our people, what things should happen unto them.
Notice that Jacob says he combined anxiety with faith. He did not combine anxiety with fear, doubt, discouragement, or anything else. He combined it with faith.
We can use this two-step process to help us deal with our anxious fears and thoughts.
Process:
Consider your ways.
Combine anxiety with faith.
Example:
Janet (yes, this is a personal example) was simply overwhelmed. I had many concerns. One of my children was really struggling with some honesty issues, and they were serious concerns. Another child had a health issue that was very concerning, and so far nothing had helped. That was a tremendous problem. There were other things too. found that I was so anxious about these different things, that I couldn’t focus, and I couldn’t think of anything else. I needed to be able to calm down so that I could even think rationally about the issues, but I knew the anxiety was getting worse instead of better.
So - follow the process. As soon as I began to consider my ways, I felt more hope. First, I could see that I simply had not taken the time to pray. Because I had been up constantly during the night, when I woke up, it was to a critical crisis with a child. I had not yet managed to find a time to take a quiet moment to pray.
I actually remember that day very well, because in that moment, I understood something. I understood that the Lord knew how tired I was, but that He still wanted me to understand that I needed to pray. How else would I find solutions? I also knew that He understood the problem fully, and He knew that this was a day I didn’t actually have the ability to leave my children for even 10 minutes to go say a prayer. BUT - I also knew that he expected me to pray anyway. I realized that I could say to him, “Heavenly Father, I am moving to help a child, and this is my prayer time -- as I’m moving. Please be with me. Please help me to be able to have my body feel calm, as I consecrate my actions to Thee. Please help me to help this child, as Thou would minister to this child. Please help me to feel that, and to be guided by Thy Spirit.” I could have prayed while running to the rescue!
Considering my ways helped me to see what I needed to do immediately in order to start the process of receiving answers.
How do I expect to RECEIVE if I have not taken the time to be receptive?
I had not been doing that. My thoughts were like this: What will I do if this health problem gets worse in Child #1? And……………...how will we deal with the honesty issues with this child #2 -- they WILL get worse, and worse, and soon this child will be in trouble with others, and I know he will not listen to me, and he just does not care about anything or anyone………………….
That’s not faith.
Instead, I could combine my anxiety with faith and choose to think thoughts like these:
I have faith that Heavenly Father will help us figure out the health issue. Have we considered a priesthood blessing? Have I been praying that the doctors would be inspired to know how to help? Have I been praying to know what topics I could research or study that would help us figure this out?
I have faith that Heavenly Father can teach me how to help my child really understand honesty and its importance. What scripture stories can I share with my child that will touch his heart and help him feel the Spirit? How does Heavenly Father teach His children how to be honest in the scriptures? How can I make my home a place where the Spirit can be felt? What are the principles that Heavenly Father uses to discipline His children? How can i show more love to my child, and yet teach him of the principle of honesty?
And - (this is extremely important) -- how can I trust that Heavenly Father will help me, so that I can let my body relax, and be able to feel of His peace?
Anxiety combined with faith is powerful. It changes us inside - and it changes us on a bodily level, helping us to relax. Instead of disabling, it becomes EN-ABLING as a powerful force, that will help us use problems to create good, and to enrich life.
Consider your ways. Combine anxiety with faith. A simple, effective, powerful solution.
