Perspective

Anxiety is real and many of us, over this past year, have experienced more than our fair share.

It is so easy to focus on all that is wrong.  I am not going to run through the list, if you are feeling even a tad anxious, chances are you know the list well.

But here’s the thing… as we focus on all that is wrong, are you also considering what is right?

My Spiritual Director would call that refocusing perspective.  

Perspective is a great word isn’t it?  As of late I have using ‘perspective’ as one of my most valued coping strategies. The power of the mind is immense, and I now use my perspective to draw out the positives of a situation, rather than to focus on the negatives. 

It is not always easy but the story of Paul and Silas in prison is a wonderful reminder of how God can show up in the midst of our dark times, if only we are willing to change our perspective from “Woe is me” to “Whoowhoo God!”.  Praising God in the midst of anxiety not because of our circumstances but because of who God is.

That has been a hard truth for me. In mid October, I was not feeling well. After a several doctor appointments and even more tests, it was determined that I would need a biopsy.  The news put me in a bit of a tailspin and honestly,  I was a mess.  

Let me cut to the chase, and tell you that late last week I was informed that what they discovered was benign…Praise God… but let me back up bit.

In the middle of this experience, I did what I never thought I would do — I stopped praising God. I was scared, I felt alone (even though I wasn’t), I was worried and I carried it by myself. I didn’t want to share this with anyone other than my immediate family and I honestly hesitated telling them. Perhaps I was afraid that if I uttered it outloud it would be true.  Regardless, I did not turn to God, I turned inward. I didn’t praise God. I was both numb and terrified at the same time.  

The morning of my biopsy, three days before Christmas… I felt a fear sweep over me like a raging storm. I was overwhelmed with anxiety.  In that moment I knew I could not do this on my own so I reached for my phone and immediately texted four women that I know pray.  I gave them enough details and asked them to start praying for me.  I know they did.

The biopsy turned into an unexpected procedure. It was difficult and very uncomfortable. But the waiting for the results turned out to be even harder. It was days before Christmas during a global pandemic, the focus in the hospital was the vaccine rollout and I was told that the results will take longer than usual.  I would have to wait and because of the unexpected nature of the procedure, I was not prepared for the suggested 7 day recovery — did I mention this was 3 days before Christmas?  Since I could do little else, I sat in bed and started working on our current sermon series, Be Anxious For Nothing!  (Yes, this series was for me!)

As I was searching the scriptures it was the passage in Acts 16 that changed my perspective from Woe is me to Whoowhoo God! Check out last weeks sermon.

So in the midst of a very dark time for me, I decided, please note that I didn’t feel, I decided to praise God. Not for my circumstance, but for who God is!  God who is Good. God who has always been there. God who provides…even when it doesn’t look like what I think it should look like.  In my praise, I was able to surrender my fear and anxiety to God. I was going to be okay regardless of what the outcome of the biopsy would be. I was praising God.

And just as God showed up in the middle of Paul and Silas’ praise, God showed up in the middle of my anxiety and fear.  I felt a calm and a peace I had not felt in months.  In the middle of the anxiety —God showed up. I am so relieved that the results of the biopsy were negative but I am even more grateful that even before that, God showed up in the middle of my praise. Beloveds, God can show up for you too!

Wherever you are, whatever is going on…Stop and take on the perspective of praise. Think of it as a bungee cord that pulls you back up when your thoughts cause you to plummet. We put on a perspective of Praise…not for what is happening but for who God is. 

When you do, God will most certainly show up and when God shows up we can handle anything this crazy world throws at us.

To God be the Glory!

STOP and PRAY

This week I conducted a funeral; I spoke with over 25 people from the Amberlea community; returned over 100 texts and received that many and more emails. I presented a document to the Presbytery of Pickering, wrote a sermon… and though you are receiving this on Thursday, I am writing this on Wednesday morning. It is only Wednesday!  This is also inauguration day for the President of the United States and there has been a weird anxiety around all that, hasn’t there?

Why am I telling you all this?

Anxiety can creep in at any time. 

STOP…and PRAY.

We live in a world that bombards us daily with events, obligations and situations that cause worry and anxiety and if left unaddressed, that anxiety can slowly turn into panic, fear and even depression. 

Many of us do a good job of hiding and masking our anxiety.  I can’t tell you the number of times people have said, “ Mona, I had know idea you were feeling that way.” 

We, or maybe I should just speak for myself, have learned to put on a happy face and show the world “I got this”. But do I? Do we?   

Here is what I am doing.  When I feel anxiety rearing its all- consuming, ugly head… I am going to:

STOP…and Pray.

I am not saying that we shouldn’t seek counsel, get medical help, change our diet, get exercise …yes, yes, yes, do that. BUT also please do this….

PRAY!

The evil one will use anxiety to stop you from living the full and abundant life that God has for you. 

I can’t prescribe medication, nor do you want me to but I can prescribe a Spiritual prescription:  Pray. 

The best thing you can do when you feel anxiety rising is to take it to God in prayer. It is through prayer that we surrender our worries to God and receive God’s peace.

You can trust God with today and tomorrow. 

So for the family whose loved one passed away, please know I have and will be praying for you. For peace, for comfort, for strength.

To the 28 people that I spoke with in the past 48 hours, please know that I am praying for each of you. Your names, your situation, your heartaches and joys alike, are resting at the feet of Jesus.

For the emails that need to be returned, the sermon that needs to be recorded, edited and posted, for the President who is being inaugurated as I write this…. I am praying first before I will do anything else.  Why? Because we are told clearly:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Feeling anxious?  

Stop and Pray.

Read the promises of God:

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. (Psalm 55:22).

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  (Matthew 11:28-30)

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.“(1 Peter 5:6, 7).

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. (Psalm 34:17).

For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear  I will help you. (Isaiah 41:13). 

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You that You never leave us, never forsake us. Thank You that You are near. 

Help us to fix our eyes on You. Empower us to rise above our circumstances. Help us to cast our anxiety on You because You care for us. 

Give us Your power to overcome. As we reach out to you thank you for lifting us up, in due time. Thank You for giving us the victory! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Loss and the Christ Child

Today, I was moved to tears reading the Facebook post of a colleague. In late Fall of last year, in the midst of a global pandemic, she lost her husband of 30 plus years.  Her post today created a deep ache in my heart.  The depth of her grief is great as is the grief of so many others who lost loved ones in recent times.  The Christmas season was particularly hard this year and for those who experienced the loss of a loved one… I am deeply sorry.

This week, I was reading the Christmas story again, andit struck me that a part of the story that we seem to omit from the birth of Jesus is a story of comfort and hope for those who are heavily burdened by loss and anxiety.

In Matthew chapter two we read of visitors who come with lavish gifts (the beginnings of our modern day trappings?). These visitors, the Wise Men, come to worship the Christ Child.  

The part that we tend to omit is after the Wise Men had gone. The little town of Bethlehem would never be the same, not only for the birth of Jesus but for another, most sinister reason. Herod the Great was a ruthless king and would not allow the possibility of a newborn Jewish king to upset the balance of power. So, he did the unthinkable, he gave orders to his army to take the life of every baby boy under the age of two. 

Imagine the fear. Hiding your child from the approaching heavy footsteps of marching soldiers. And in its deadly aftermath, the sounds of heart wrenching cries from mothers cradling their lifeless sons, as an ancient prophecy is fulfilled.

“A voice is heard in Ramah,

weeping and great mourning,

Rachel weeping for her children

and refusing to be comforted

because they are no more.”   (Matthew 2:18)

Joseph is alerted by a dream. He gathers up the child and Mary and they barely escape with the few possessions they can carry as they flee to Egypt. God’s only Son, wrapped in flesh, becomes a refugee.

We don’t tend to include the horrific loss in Bethlehem in our Christmas services or in the children’s Christmas pageant.  We choose to turn away.

But God never does.

I believe that the story of loss is included in scripture because God wants us to know that the baby in the manger is more than joyful Christmas carols and shiny gifts. God wants us to remember that Bethlehem’s darkest day was Jesus’ story too. The children who died that night were his neighbours, his friends, perhaps even his family.

We are reminded that no matter what we have lost, Emmanuel is with us. 

Our God is the same yesterday, today and forever and this same God leans in to hear our cry. Jesus is the Messiah for those who mourn. The God who understands the cause of the refugee. The King of the Universe who preferred the manager to a palace. God, the infinite, all-powerful Creator who humbled Himself to become vulnerable to all of the hatred and violence we could muster. And He remains the God who walks alongside us in our suffering.

God with us in our loss.

God is with us in the midst of our loneliness and anxiety.

God is with us in the midst of this pandemic.

God is with us.