This past week has been quite a struggle digging out from the “polar vortex” that hit the eastern half of the US leaving huge piles of snow and our roads impassable.  The schools have been closed for 5 days.  We haven’t seen any winter weather this prolonged since the Blizzard of ’78 which has taken on legendary significance in this area of Indiana.  We have all had our fair share of anxiety, worrying about whether we would lose power during the snowstorm or worrying about navigating the snow clogged roads for days after the storm.  This worry became extreme as people cleaned out the grocery shelves when meteorologists warned us of this impending snow.  Really Indianapolis, how many loaves of bread do you need for a few snowbound days?  We can chuckle about it now, but fear, real or perceived, can be overwhelming.

Over and over in the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments, we read “Fear Not.”  Jesus strongly warned against worrying saying that our present day has worry enough for itself.  If God cares for the lilies in the field and the birds of the air, He will care for us even more.  We read this but it’s difficult to live it.  There is a big difference between real fear and perceived fear but often we treat them as one and the same.  Real fear is the response to the crisis situation right in front of us in the present.  This kind of fear motivates us to act for self-preservation.  It is the “fight or flight” response that is hard-wired in all of us.  We need this to get us out or through a real crisis. Perceived fear is worry or anxiety.  This is the fear of “What If’s”.  This kind of fear can range from mild concern to severe anxiety that paralyzes, keeping the individual from being able to function or even leave home. Worry can literally rob us of joy and can keep us from living our lives fully. As a Family Physician, I have personally seen a large increase in anxiety since 9/11 and the advent of 24/7 news coverage.  We are inundated with information about every disaster around the world and it can be too much for many people.  I have literally had to tell patients to turn off the news because they cannot walk away from it and it is causing overwhelming anxiety.  I’m not in any way saying that we should not have empathy for those people going through a crisis but we don’t have to ingest every detail. We are in an age of information overload and we all need to be cautious of how much we expose ourselves.

When turning off the constant negative information is not enough, what do we do to overcome debilitating anxiety?  Talking to another about our fears can be very helpful.  Many times just knowing that others are going through the same thing we are can be tremendously calming.  Seek professional counseling to work through your anxiety.  If indicated, use medication prescribed by your doctor to alleviate severe symptoms.  Avoid addictive medications as much as possible since these can trade one problem for another. Avoid self medicating with alcohol for the same reasons.  Throughout this whole process, pray for strength.  As much as possible, turn your worries over to Jesus.  One of my favorite Bible passages speaks to this in Philippians chapter 4, “Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say 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 minds in Christ Jesus.”  When you realize that Paul wrote this from a jail cell, it adds extra significance.  How could he rejoice while imprisoned?  How could he have peace of mind when he was about to be executed?  I believe Paul must have seen opportunity in his circumstance to preach the gospel to his jailers. Also he was not rooted in this world but had his sights on heaven and eternity.  He was fully aware of the presence of Christ who walked with him through all his trials right to the end.  He was not spared from suffering but he was moved through it by the Lord.

So how can we not worry when we know that bad things happen to good people?  Suffering is a reality. Life is full of it. However, the fact is that the great majority of our worries will never happen. If we truly are honest, we see this in our lives when we look back.  Our worries did not change a thing, they just caused unnecessary internal suffering.  We don’t know the future but God does and this can be reassuring that no matter what happens in the in-between, all will work out for good in the end.  We are not abandoned when we do go through suffering and we all will suffer no matter who you are.  In Psalm 23, King David acknowledges God’s promise when he wrote, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”  Notice that he doesn’t say “if” or “when” I walk through the darkest valley. David wrote in present tense.  He was experiencing God’s presence in his own dark valley at the time he was writing this psalm.

So use fear in a healthy way to prepare for or avoid harmful circumstances if you can but don’t get caught in the trap of obsessive worry. Jesus wants us to live life to its fullest, abundantly.  Worry holds us back from fully realizing this abundance and keeps us from being the person we were created to be.  Fear not. Remember God is in control and holds each of us in the palm of His hand.  We can count on it.