The Rev. Mark FlynnIn his book, "My Age of Anxiety," Scott Stossel notes that only three academic papers were published on anxiety in 1927. By 1941, that number had increased to 14, and by 1950 it had grown to 37. Today, physicians report that anxiety is one of their patients' most common complaints. Even a cursory Internet search reveals millions of articles on anxiety.
Let me clarify, by "anxiety" I am not referring to clinical depression or anxiety disorders. People who suffer from these medical conditions need our support on their difficult journey, but they also need to be under a physician's care. I am referring to the general anxiety that has been steadily growing over the last 50 years.
The "causes" of stress are not the events or trends that rightly give reasonable people concern: terrorism, economic downturns, unemployment, social transformation, etc. These are real issues and should be taken seriously, but they do not cause anxiety. People can be fully informed on these topics and allow them to influence their decision making without becoming filled with anxiety. The cause of our anxiety is found in how we respond to these circumstances.
While there is no consensus among even experts, I find there are seven common threads among those writing about the causes of anxiety:
* Receiving too much negative information.
* Linking personal value to achievement.
* Feeling alone.
* Losing our sense of community.
* Feeling helpless.
* Refusing to accept negative feelings as normal.
* Feeling hopeless.
I'm no expert in psychology or sociology, but these make sense to me. And the Bible has something to say about each of these "forces" at work in our world. There are well over 300 pieces of Scripture that address anxiety. Those teachings are filled with nuance, but we can sum up their direction in this: Peace is not the absence of chaos. It is not about feeling good about everything and everyone. God's peace is deeper than that. The "peace that passes understanding" is about discovering that our true identity is as God's beloved child and learning to live into that role.
"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal." (Isaiah 26:3-4)
Make no mistake, there is not a quick and simple magic formula for connecting with the peace of God. Finding peace takes more than reading uplifting truths, even if they are in the Bible. The goal of Scripture is not to teach us ideas about God, Jesus or ourselves. The Bible invites us to have a personal encounter with the Creator and become a part of a community of faith that supports our awareness and acceptance of God's leadership.
Followers of Jesus have a term for the many ways of spending time with God: spiritual practices - prayer, meditation, Scripture reading, Sabbath, worship, service, etc. Of course, sometimes an encounter with God does not bring peace. We may be invited to change.
If we want to experience the peace of God, then we need to connect and spend time with the spirit of God that is present in the world.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13)
Mark Flynn is pastor at Christ United Methodist Church.