Combating Fear in a Time of Anxiety  October 2008

By Woodeene Koenig-Bricker

This morning, when I my computer, I was greeted by a quote from Pope Benedict about the financial crisis facing the world: “now with the collapse of big banks we see that money disappears, is nothing and all these things that appear real are in fact of secondary importance." Although I had a different column prepared for October, I decided to scrap it in favor of talking about what’s on all our minds—even our pope’s.

There’s no denying the fact that the news is scary. When headlines start mentioning today’s events in the same sentence as the Great Depression, all of us feel a little queasy.  We might not care what happens to wealthy Wall Street hedge fund managers, but we care a great deal about what will happen to our money, in our bank.

I’m not immune to the feeling.  I find myself looking nervously at my bank account and wondering if I should be doing something until I realize that I don’t have enough money to do anything with! 

Because so many of us, in our work for the Church, will encountered people who are desperately looking to us for some assurance, I’d like to share my “G’s” for combating fear in a time of anxiety.

1.  Gratitude

Nothing stops fear faster than refocusing on the gifts God has given you. When I was going through a particularly stressful financial period, I kept a gratitude journal in which I listed everything that I could think of for which I was thankful. Some days all I could list was “I’m still alive.”  Even now, when I am tempted to feel panicky about paying the bills or finding work or what will happen next month, I take a deep breath and list at least 10 things I am grateful for right this second.

This isn’t a Pollyanna, ignore reality, exercise. It’s a practical way to, as the Scriptures tell us, “take every thought captive” since it’s nearly impossible to give thanks and be fearful at the exact same moment.

2. Giving

Being a Christian is counter-intuitive.  Forgive your enemies, bless those who harm you, turn the other cheek.  Add one more to the list:  give when you feel most like holding on. One of the reasons we are in a world-wide financial crisis is because of personal greed. So instead of hanging onto what is yours, give something away.  It doesn’t have to be major. For instance, put an extra dollar in the collection plate.  Leave a 20% tip instead of 15%.  Clean out a closet and take one of your sweaters or coats to the mission.  The point is to give, not out of your surplus, but out of your everyday.  Give so that you affirm to yourself that you really do have enough to share.

3. Grace

Someone once accused me of being a born optimist.  After I stopped howling with laughter, I assured them that I was, and still am, naturally pessimistic. Glass half full?  Always!  However, one day, as I was trying to decide if something was worth major worry or just a run of the mill average worry, I realized that one of the few things that Jesus told us not to do in so many words was—Don’t Worry!  It wasn’t optional; it was a direct command.  Now shutting off worry isn’t as easy as turning off the faucet, but over the years I’ve learned to quell it (most of the time.) The key for me was Philippians 4:6:  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  I wrote out that verse and carried it with me everywhere.  I put it up on the windowsill, in the bathroom, in the car. 

In this day and age when worry has almost become a virtue, reminding ourselves and others that God will listen to our requests---and give us all that we need—is an important reminder.  If we truly believe that God is with us, then we will not place our trust in ephemeral things, but rather, in the words of Pope Benedict, “the only solid reality…the word of God.”