​"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow…" - Matthew 6:33-34a

August is quintessential summer. The dog days of summer once held open roads and family gatherings over its last carefree days. Now, from teens to the elderly, high anxiety has reduced being carefree to distant memory.

What if. What if I lose my job. What if this bump becomes a catastrophic diagnosis causing hardship on the family while depleting our modest savings leaving my elderly wife destitute. What if family and friends scorn my bi-racial engagement. Today, anxiety is all around. From global events to personal challenges, anxiety and worry continuously try to take root in our heart. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the uncertainties that are more prevalent now than at any prior time. Anxiety was once experienced like the coming and going of waves. Now it feels as though it never recedes, only continually increasing until drawing breath feels impossible.

The psychology journal, Behavior Therapy, Vol. 51, Issue 3, May 2020, contains an article, “Exposing Worry’s Deceit: Percentage of Untrue Worries in Generalized Anxiety Disorder Treatment”, pages 413- 423. Penn State researchers Lucas LaFreniere and Michelle Newman conducted a study which produced eye popping results. In the comprehensive study, only 8.6% of all anxiety is concerned with real and present problems. In my opinion, it’s the other 91.4% grinding us to the bone.

6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” Jesus doesn't dismiss our concerns; rather, he invites us to shift our focus. He points us to the natural world – the birds of the air, the lilies of the field – as living testaments to our God's divinely meticulous care.

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If God so faithfully provides for the birds and clothes the flowers with such splendor, how much more will God care for us as beloved children so taught by the Bible we are?

The core of Jesus’s message here is not a call to inaction, but a call to trust. When we worry, we are, in essence, doubting God provision and sovereignty. We are trying to carry burdens that the Lord has promised to bear.

This is where gratitude becomes our powerful weapon against anxiety. When we intentionally cultivate a heart of thankfulness, we begin to see God hand in every detail of our lives. Instead of focusing on what we lack or what might go wrong, we acknowledge and appreciate what we have and what God has already done.

Consider these ways gratitude dissolves anxiety:

• Gratitude redirects our focus: It pulls our attention away from our fears and places it on God’s faithfulness.                                        

• Gratitude reminds us of God’s past provision: Recalling how God has come through before builds faith for the present and future.                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

• Gratitude fosters contentment: When we appreciate what we have, the desire for more and the fear of not having enough both diminish.                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

• Gratitude invites peace: A thankful heart is a peaceful heart, resting in the knowledge that God is in control.                                      

Jesus concludes with a profound directive: 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." When we pursue God just a fraction of how hard God’s pursues us, anxieties fade. We trust that as we honor God, God will faithfully provide for our needs.

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Blessings, Rev. Colby Smith