Battling Anxiety, Finding JesusSample

“In the last 30 days, I’ve had a moment where I felt overwhelmed.”

I was preaching one Sunday at my church when I first asked people to respond to this statement. Most people in the room raised their hands in agreement. Many of us are all too familiar with the feelings of anxiety, fear, and dread. There is a well-worn path within us to being overwhelmed.

I wonder about you. Read that opening statement again and consider the last time you felt overwhelmed. Was it 24 hours ago? Seven days? A month?

If we asked the Apostle Peter, he would’ve said, “When Jesus invited us to get out of the boat, I stepped out. I was doing pretty good until I saw the waves.” Peter was doing well. He’d been more courageous than the other disciples who remained in the boat.

However, Peter became overwhelmed and sank once his eyes shifted from Jesus to the size of the waves on the tumultuous Sea of Galilee. While I’ve heard many pastors chastise Peter for his sinking, I want to commend him for getting out of the boat. He should be celebrated, not condemned.

At the same time as we celebrate Peter’s courage, we can learn from his mistakes. What was his mistake? He shifted his focus from Jesus to the conditions of the water. Since his focus impacted his footing, shifting his focus led him from a stable footing to sinking.

The same is true for us. Our focus tends to impact our footing. The things we think about and fixate on can determine our sense of how life is going in the present and how it will go in the future.

I’ve discovered that my inputs have a direct relationship to my outputs. What I put into my mind tends to shape what my mind gravitates towards. Recently, I found myself having a hard time falling asleep at night. When I began to inventory how I spent my last couple hours before bed, I realized that I was listening to and watching news material about politics. This material dripped with drama, conflict, sensationalized reports, and depressing stories. While awake, what I was filling my mind with kept me from a peaceful, refreshing sleep. This sleeplessness is why the writer of Proverbs warned readers to guard their hearts.

When Peter had his focus on Jesus, he was able to do what had previously seemed impossible. But, when Peter focused on the obstacles and challenging conditions around him, he was overwhelmed quickly. I love how my friend and author, Carlos Whittaker, applies this lesson: “Glance at the world and gaze at God.”

When we gaze at God, we discover His power in our weakness and strength in our time of need. But, when we spend hours scrolling, watching, listening, and binging content that takes our focus in the opposite direction, we will find ourselves sinking like Peter. While we cannot control the circumstances or thoughts that enter our minds, we can choose what we fill our minds with and what we give our limited attention to each day.

I don’t expect you to do this perfectly, as I know I will not do this perfectly either. But, this is the path away from anxiety and towards peace. I’m excited to share the next installment of this plan tomorrow, where we’ll dive into what to do when we fail in this battle.