Anxiety is something very easy to get.
It’s like catching the flu. You’re alright one minute, then the next someone says something to you and all of a sudden, even if on the surface you appear in control, underneath, things are not so certain.
I am rather blessed in having the parents I’ve got. My Mum is a passionate active type of person who appreciates people and as a Mother is very much concerned about the welfare of her children. Sometimes that concern can border onto anxiety. Meanwhile my Dad is a rather uncomplicated kinda guy. He is not the type to make a big deal of much, and he just does what he needs to do with the minimum of fuss. They compliment each other very well, for when my Mum might veer towards anxiety, my Dad will help her regain a perspective on things.
That balancing act is all about knowing what you can do and getting on with it, rather than carrying on with concerns in which you can do nothing. I’m sure my Dad has been concerned about things before. Life has not been a trouble-free deal for him even in married life and the family that followed. I am sure that he went through a number of serious challenges in his wider family life, at work and at church. Yet the focus that remained constant was that God would look after him.
Indeed he would sing that song God Will Take Care Of You with a knowing that went beyond pleasant melodies. On that basis, he could focus on doing what he knew he had to do without procrastinating. The assurance with which he did it was totally based on his understanding of God’s grace in his life. I’ve seen my Mum over the years grow in that confidence too and express it in her own way. She would pour out her worries in her prayer life passionately and with equal conviction work out how much she believed God afterwards. I’m sure that must have saved her some high blood pressure and sleepless nights.
Witnessing these things and having responsibilities of my own from a marriage and children to living out all of what God calls for from me, I am glad that the Scriptures that came alive in the witness of my parents can be a guide to me.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 