Focus

There are times when sleep is elusive. I will get an idea, a snippet of a song, a thought for a recipe or maybe attempt to work through a challenge and my mind is determined to figure it out RIGHT NOW.  Why this happens in the dark of night is a mystery! 🙂

Last night was one of those times. I had been mulling over a thorny issue and was not getting what I believed was a “success resolution” or plan. There was a whisper, a nudge in my metaphorical side, a reminder to me last night to “be anxious for nothing…”

Truth be known, this is not my strong suit. I decided, since I was wide awake, to do a little research on the word “anxious” in the original Greek. Strong’s says, “(through the idea of distraction); solicitude: – care.”  I picture this as making a cozy, welcoming nest for distractions, rather than ordering them to hit the road.

Why would anyone want to deliberately entertain anything that will pull us away from what should capture our focus and promote peace, stability and enhanced purpose? Anxiety is a toxin that is optional to drink. Time to throw it out with the trash. Ok. Point taken.

How about the word, “nothing” – as in “be anxious for nothing“? Is there any wiggle room at all in this word? No, there is not. It means exactly what it says, regardless of whether it is in Greek or English. “Not a whit” was part of the entire definition. Let’s flip it around – in other words we can chose to “be assured at all times in everything…” That sounds like a big improvement, doesn’t it?

How is this possible? We are humans, after all. How can a proficient worrier function in such a way that the anxiety melts away? Ask yourself in what or whom do you put your trust? Is it in our own clever actions and holding the reins a little more tightly? Or is a better plan to put those plans in the clever, kind, capable hands of God?

As I write in the brilliant Texas afternoon sunshine, the answer is enormously clear. We can do this if we focus on “what is true” (further on in the same 4th chapter of Philippians). Who called Himself “the Truth”? I think you know the answer to that…

Anxiety reminds me of the packs of coyotes I would hear howling in the stillness of New Mexico nights. They are noisy, unsettling and at times seemed nearly on my doorstep – but they can only come in if I open the door.

– RG