The answer to anxiety

DAILY BIBLE READING:

1 Chronicles 1:1–2:17 

Acts 23:11-35 

Psalm 3:1-8 

Proverbs 18:14-15

BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:

Psalm 3:5-6 (CSB) "I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me. I will not be afraid of thousands of people who have taken their stand against me on every side."

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

Anxiety is a huge problem in our society. 

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, "(a)nxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18% of the population."

But, while we may not struggle with clinical anxiety, many are continually struggle with worry, stress, and the resulting loss of sleep, sluggishness, discouragement, and many other symptoms. 

Is it any wonder that one of the largest sections of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is when Jesus told us 3 times "don't be anxious" (Matthew 6:25-34).

Well, it's easy to tell someone "don't be anxious." But, it's quite another to give them a substantive reason for not being anxious.

And Jesus, being the infinitely wise God, has given us that reason.

The answer to anxiety is trust.

If I were in the back seat of a car on an interstate where everyone was traveling at least 65 mph and I didn't trust the driver, I would be nervous. Every time he changed lanes or got even reasonably close to another car, I would get anxious.

But, if I were a child in the back seat of the car and my dad or mom was driving and I fully trusted them, I wouldn't even care about the traffic. I wouldn't be nervous at all. Because I trusted my parents.

Trust frees us from the vise of anxiety.

Trust is the answer to anxiety that Jesus gives us in the Sermon on the Mount. If you read Matthew 6:25-34, you can see that He is clearly saying that we need to trust our Heavenly Father.

In our Verse for Today, we see the same reasoning.

Psalm 3:5-6 (CSB) "I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me. I will not be afraid of thousands of people who have taken their stand against me on every side."

The Psalmist was able to sleep even if thousands of people were against him "because the LORD sustains me." He was trusting in the Lord and His provision. As a result, He was able to lie his head on his pillow at night and enjoy restful sleep.

Does trusting the Lord guarantee that everything will go well for us and that we will find the results pleasant? Of course not. We live in a broken, Genesis 3 world. Bad things are going to happen.

But, even in those bad times, we trust the Lord. We realize that nothing can happen to us unless it passes through His hands. He either actively wills what we experience or He passively allows what we experience. But, everything has to be approved by Him.

Added to this is the fact that He has promised that everything that we experience is intended to make us more like Jesus (Romans 8:28-29).

So, trust Him. Whether life gets easy or gets hard, trust your Heavenly Father's heart.

Stress and the need to get away

Sometimes the stresses of life can overwhelm us. 

Stresses at work. 

Stresses at home. 

Stresses of relationships. 

Stresses of money. 

Etc., etc., etc.

As a former Bible teacher used to tell me (using the King James Bible phrase 'come apart' which means to separate yourself from your present situation): 

"Come apart or you'll come apart."

Being a pastor certainly carries it's own set of stresses, most of which are not visible to those we serve. And added to these stresses is the fact that a pastor is on the clock 24 hours a day, seven days a week and he never officially "clocks out" so he can never fully unwind.

Many other professions are, in their own way, equally stressful. It's not necessarily that things are bad or unhealthy. It's just the nature of the job.

So, I needed to come apart or I felt like I would come apart.

Well, my wife and I took a mini-vacation recently. We went to Memphis for a few days to just de-stress and focus on each other as we celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. While I did some work and made some ministry phone calls on our little get-away, being away just made it feel a lot less stressful.

(And please realize that I serve in a great church. The folks I serve love me and I certainly love them. But, stress can build even in the best of scenarios.)

While I was on vacation, I watched as my Fitbit generated the Resting Heart Rate (RHR) data. It was incredibly insightful when I compared my vacation RHR data to my RHR data when I am in my ministry context. Looking at the data, it seems clear that stress has adverse affects on the body and a periodic vacation is a very healthy and needed thing.

But, before I show you the chart with the data, let's define what a resting heart rate is...

Resting Heart Rate: the number heartbeats per minute when your body is in a state of rest. This measurement is usually taken moments after you have awakened in the morning.

"The usual range for resting heart rate is anywhere between 60 and 90 beats per minute. Above 90 is considered high. ... (In his prime, champion cyclist Lance Armstrong had a resting heart rate of just 32 beats per minute.) Stress, medications, and medical conditions also influence the heart rate." (from Harvard Health Publications)

So, here are my numbers. I'm a runner so my numbers are lower than average (low is good). I bet you can tell when I was enjoying some "away" time with my wife.

Resting Heart Rate for past 30 days

The slippery slope on this chart started as we were preparing to leave on vacation. The lowest recorded RHR (58 bpm) was logged by my Fitbit on the last morning of my vacation as we prepared to head back.

My personal data isn't that drastic. My running habit certainly keeps the numbers lower than they ordinarily would be (Running is a wonderful stress reducer.). But, it does show that getting away and de-stressing is good for our mind and body.

And if it's true of pastors, it's true of you, my friend. 

Getting away with Kim to the Maple Hill Bed and Breakfast

Our church recently sent Kim and me off for a couple of days at a bed and breakfast. I've never been to a bed and breakfast (they sounded a little too much like a female or elderly thing) but I was fair game. Things have been more than a little rough for Kim and me, especially recently, and we needed some time away.

It took us about an hour and a half to get to Maple Hill Bed and Breakfast in Eddyville, Kentucky. The house was impressive as we approached it (the picture makes it look much smaller than it actually is).

We were greeted at the door by the host who invited us in. She took us on a brief tour of the place so that we could get our bearings. The first room we entered made it clear that this house had plenty of 'atmosphere.'

I usually don't like antiques but this house was done extremely well! It felt like we stepped back into time to a different era. After staying at my first bed and breakfast, I could see what set it apart from a hotel. A hotel provides the necessities but it is strictly focused on providing a place to sleep. 'Atmosphere' isn't their goal. A bed and breakfast strives to provide a place to rest while also giving you an experience, something that leaves you thinking about it long after you've left.

Our church paid for the second floor 'Rose Room' which seems to have been the nicest room. The amenities inside the room were very well thought-out and the view out the windows was breathtaking. Lake Barkley was visible from two of the windows and the bay behind the house was visible from the third window.

Again, Kim and I really don't care much for antiques. Yet, this room was decked out in furniture, rugs, pictures and such from years gone by. The room provided more than just a place to rest. It really felt like we were able to 'get away' from some stress for a couple of days and rejuvenate.

One place that Kim and I enjoyed retreating to when we were spending our time in our Bibles or just spending some time reflecting was on the second floor balcony. This balcony had some rocking chairs and was the private balcony for those in the 'Rose Room.' It overlooked the front of the house and also had a great view of Lake Barkley. (You can see Lake Barkley in the picture to the right.)

Kim and I had some great talks while we were on this two day get-away and some of those conversations happened on this balcony.

Another location that we enjoyed escaping to a couple of times was a dock down on the water. This was a super place to just 'veg.' Kim and I took our Bibles and some study books with us. Sometimes, we were reading and studying. Other times, we were just enjoying the beautiful scenery. All of this just enabled us to de-stress and relax.

The view to the right of this dock is seen in the next picture. This bay area was a little inlet off of Lake Barkley. It was fun just to watch the water flow and listen to the waves splash against the dock.

I don't know what it is about water but it is so therapeutic to just watch and listen. Added to this is the fish that jumped out of the water and the turtles that poked their heads out and watched us. All of this and more made for an extremely relaxing environment where our minds and bodies were able to unwind.

The fact that this bed and breakfast provides such an incredible experience as sitting on this dock is a priceless addition to all that they offer those who come to board with them.

There were many other things we enjoyed about this place. The breakfast was absolutely delicious with the candles on the table and romantic music in the background. The conversation with the hosts was really enjoyable, too. We even found out that we have some friends in common! We also found some roads to walk that provided some breathtaking views of Lake Barkley.

I could keep going but you get the idea. We really enjoyed this place!

We certainly enjoyed our time at the Maple Hill Bed and Breakfast and cannot be more thankful to our church family at the Westside Baptist Church for providing this get-away for us. Kim and I are hoping that this time of R&R will enable us to be more effective as we get back at the business of ministry and all of the other things God has allowed to come our way.