I'm assuming, based on comments I've read online, that I'm not alone in struggling with anxiety as a technical artist. Perhaps there are a few that won't relate, but for the rest of you, here's what God is teaching me.
I know the responsibility you carry and feel weekly. I know what it is to feel the pressure. I know that feeling you get when it seems everyone in your world needs you to fix a problem. You get the idea. Now, we all know burnout happens in church technical teams all across America. I'm not working too many hours. I average 40-45 per week. I'm talking about something within my mind or heart that contributes to this anxiety.
Jesus was pretty clear in Matthew 6 when he commanded, "Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself." There are many reasons why we may struggle with anxiety. I don't want to focus on any of those reasons. I want to focus on where to look and what to do when it comes. I heard Dr. Tim Jennings describe it very well when he said, "We have power over what we believe, but what we believe holds power over us." Let's walk through this passage that will instruct us in what to believe.
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:6-10 (ESV)
Step 1 - Humble yourself.
For me, I've been stopping whatever I'm doing. I've been learning to share what I'm experiencing with others around me. That's part of humbling yourself. "Mighty hand of God" says something about God. He is mighty. Slow down enough to realize the implications of this. It brings perspective.
Step 2 - Cast your anxieties.
Don't work to relieve the anxiety, work to know the truth. Work to lean into the truth.
This is yet another way of humbling myself. I don't really know what "cast" means except to tell God specifically what you're anxious about. With each one there is the humbling realization of the depth of our need for greater freedom that only comes through Christ. Why? Because He cares for you. Do you get that? Read it again, He cares for you! Do you believe it?
Step 3 - Realize we are in a war.
We cannot read words such as "adversary," "prowls," "roaring lion," "seeking someone to devour," "be sober-minded," "watchful," need I go on? It's very clear that we are in the midst of a war. Not a physical war, but a war for our minds. We cannot be passive. This should create an even greater humility and dependence upon God within us. Don't work to relieve the anxiety, work to know the truth. Work to lean into the truth.
Step 4 - Rest in the promise.
Is it not a comfort to know that the God of all grace will, in His time, do three specific things for you? He will restore you. He will make you firm. He will establish you. Again, do you believe?
Here's what I love. Reread this passage and notice that it does not focus on us or the fact that we struggle with anxiety. It focuses on God and His character. The fact that he cares for us and will, in fact, carry the load so we don't have to. It reminds me of the appropriateness of the famous words penned by Helen H. Lemmel:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace
If you find yourself relating to any of this here are a few resources that have pointed me toward Christ:
Sermon: John Piper, "Anxieties: To Be Cast Not Carried" 1993
Book: Edward T. Welch, "Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and The God of Rest"
Book: Neil T. Anderson, "The Bondage Breaker"
Book: Timothy R. Jennings, "The God-Shaped Brain: How Changing Your View of God Transforms Your Life"
