As we get closer to the American inauguration of Donald Trump and the world seemingly continues to appear to fall apart, I am reading across many mediums a current of worry and concern. I want to consider worry this week and our posture towards it. A new project I am undertaking and will become more present in my future writing is my re engagement with my church as a professional pastor in some way. As I am relearning the language, my future posts will reflect this. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Let us consider the words of Jesus that he offers in <\/span>Mathew 6:25-34:<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cTherefore, I tell you, do not worry\u00a0about 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?\u00a0\u00a0Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.\u00a0Are you not much more valuable than they?\u00a0Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? \u2026 <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Seneca<\/span><\/a>, a contemporary of Jesus and Paul was a Stoic philosopher who had his own things to say about worry. He offers, \u201cWe suffer more often in imagination than in reality.\u201d Seneca\u2019s antidote to worry and anxiety is this: \u201cTrue happiness is to enjoy the present without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied, for he that is wants nothing. The greatest blessings of mankind are within us and within our reach. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You can certainly see the parallels here between Seneca and Jesus. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Psychologically, worry is related to anxiety. In a <\/span>post<\/span><\/a> I wrote back in April of 2024; I point back to Rousseau a philosopher in the 18<\/span>th<\/span> century who offered two points around why we are so anxious. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Anxiety and worry are natural instincts though can become pathological if certain conditions are not met early in a person\u2019s lifespan. Rousseau attributes to all creatures an instinctual drive towards self-preservation. We\u00a0can call this the righting reflex. Babies and children are necessary narcissists because\u00a0they have not yet learned self-control and sometimes have not gained the trust of\u00a0their caregivers that they will be provided for. Second to this point is that parents\u00a0sometimes do not set good boundaries and enact healthy discipline for their children. I\u00a0am always telling parents that if you do not create meaning for your children, they will\u00a0create their own.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The human drive towards self-preservation according to Rousseau directs us to attend\u00a0to our most basic biological needs. For <\/span>Rousseau<\/span><\/a>, \u201chumans, like other\u00a0creatures, are part of the design of a benevolent creator (God), they are individually well-\u00a0equipped with the means to satisfy their natural needs. Alongside this basic drive for\u00a0self-preservation, Rousseau posits another passion which he\u00a0terms\u00a0piti\u00e9\u00a0(compassion).\u00a0Piti\u00e9\u00a0directs us to attend to and relieve the suffering of\u00a0others\u00a0(including animals) where we can do so without endangering our own self-\u00a0preservation. In some of his writings, such as the\u00a0Discourse on Inequality,\u00a0piti\u00e9\u00a0is an\u00a0original drive that sits alongside\u00a0amour de soi, whereas in others, such as\u00a0Emile\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0Essay on the Origin of Languages, it is a development of\u00a0amour de soi\u00a0considered\u00a0as the origin of all passions.\u201d \u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Psychologically, pathological anxiety is an excessive or often an irrational amount of normal anxiety. I was talking to a couple of clients about this the other day and how we currently are being set up for pathological anxiety these days. With the constant bombardment of information and negative confirmation bias loop, we become imprisoned in our fears and worries. While the world is a pretty bleak place at times, it has always been and always will be. As we have tuned in more to our phones and media and tuned less into the abiding love of Christ and God\u2019s providence, we have become scared, afraid and anxious. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n John Wesley<\/span><\/a> had a few things to say about anxiety and worry, some of which I agree with and some I feel did not age well. <\/span>John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, strongly condemned worry. Sermon 29 is a sermon on the Mathew verse offered above. \u201c<\/span>Sermon 29<\/span><\/a> emphasizes the importance of having faith in God\u2019s provision and care, rather than worrying about material possessions and worldly concerns. He encourages Christians to prioritize their spiritual needs and seek God\u2019s kingdom first, as everything else will fall into place.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Here are some general thoughts Wesley has on worry:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Worry is a Sin: Wesley believed worry stemmed from a lack of faith in God\u2019s providence. He saw it as a form of disobedience, a failure to trust that God would provide and care for His children.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Worry is Useless: Wesley argued that worry is unproductive and even harmful. It steals joy, saps energy, and hinders effective action. He believed that instead of worrying, one should actively seek solutions and trust in God\u2019s guidance.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Focus on God\u2019s Will: Wesley emphasized the importance of submitting one\u2019s will to God\u2019s will. He believed that true peace comes from accepting God\u2019s plan, even when it\u2019s difficult to understand.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Engage in Active Faith: Wesley encouraged a life of active faith, filled with service to others. He believed that by focusing on helping others, individuals could find relief from their own anxieties and experience the joy of God\u2019s presence.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Essentially, Wesley would likely have urged individuals to cast their anxieties upon God, to trust in His promises, and to live a life of faith and service.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Wesley was huge fan of scripture, cobbling a few scripture verses together, let us consider a meditation:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Creator God, you are our light and salvation, guide us on the paths we are about to embark this next week. Whom shall we fear? You are our strength. You are on our side. We are safe because we put our trust in you. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Come Holy Spirit, help us fret not so that we may be safe and free from harm. Create in us a steady heart, an open mind and a peaceful resolve. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We look to you Lord Jesus as our guide. In the boat, you showed us how to be calm and how you calmed the seas. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Worry is not an emotion we can control. It is however an emotion that can be managed. We can become curious, we can lean more into God\u2019s presence and begin a dialogue to discover what this emotion is asking of us or even teaching us.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As we get closer to the American inauguration of Donald Trump and the world seemingly continues to appear to fall apart, I am reading across many mediums a current of worry and concern. I want to consider worry this week and our posture towards it. A new project I am undertaking and will become more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5414,"featured_media":1698,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[609,704,701],"class_list":["post-2114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-john-wesley","tag-seneca","tag-worry"],"yoast_head":"\nAn Ancient View<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
A Modern View<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
Wesley\u2019s Reflection<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
A Meditation on a Calm Heart<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n