It’s not easy raising a family in this unstable environment, especially when separation and divorce is happening to every other marriage in many industrial countries.
What about child abuse? Parents today not only worry about sexual predators on the Internet, they have to worry about teachers, preachers and other authority figures seducing their children.
It’s not easy being a child today, living under so many different rules at home, at school, coping with ridicule for being different, worrying about school shootings and peer pressure to engage is sex, drugs and other destructive behavior.
Senior citizens who are getting older often worry about their health care, nursing home abuse, becoming dependent on their children or being a burden on society. The National Strategy for Suicide Prevention reports “The highest suicide rates of any age group occur among persons 65 years and older.” They average one suicide every 90 minutes!
It’s not easy being part of the aptly named “sandwich generation.” These adults often feel caught between their aging parents and young children, some even caring for their grandchildren in a juggling act that cannot afford failures.
Unprecedented natural disasters, epidemics, rising crime, terrorist attacks and raging wars have added to this potent mixture where anxiety, depression, panic and suicides are common reactions to today’s problems.
How can any of us cope with all of these problems as we get deeper into what 2 Timothy 3:1 calls the “last days” where “perilous times” would come?
Many people try to drown out their problems with drugs and alcohol or by partying and engaging in illicit behavior, but experts will tell you this usually adds to one’s problems.
The primary requirement in overcoming anxieties is to look in the right direction for relief. Where would that be? Proverbs 3: 5, 6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.”
Millions of people agree that the remedy to coping with anxieties lies in trusting in Almighty God to direct us and not rely on our own strength and wisdom. How can we do that?
1 Peter 5:6, 7 says, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
For example, God’s Word encourage Christians to lead a simple, uncomplicated life, free from the greed and material pursuits that have been known to cause ulcers and other anxieties.
Hebrews 13:5 says, “Let your conversation be without covetousness and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
The English Standard Version reads, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”
Many people wish they had not gone into debt buying the latest models and merchandise of material things. Learning to be content with what we have until we absolutely must make a purchase is a way of cutting back on anxiety.
One way we can relieve stress is by following the counsel at Matthew 6:19-21, where Jesus said, “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” How can we do that?
Instead of worrying about what tomorrow will bring Jesus said to “seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Do you think if we truly put our trust in God and are seeking to do His will, He will let us do more for Him than He will do for us? Titus 1:2 tells us God cannot lie. Proverbs 10:22 says, “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich and he addeth no sorrow with it.”
When you feel overwhelmed, do you take the matter to God in prayer as Psalm 55:22 advises? “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
God may not make the problem disappear. Sometimes we reap what we sow. But in His love, mercy and understanding, God may give us the wisdom we need to solve the problems we face or to see the best way of handling it.
According to the New International Version of the Bible, James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
In these critical times of overwhelming stress we need reliance on a higher power. By prayer, exercising one’s faith, focusing on our needs instead of our wants and relying on God’s guidance, we can successfully cope with life’s anxieties.
*For a copy of The Little White Book of Light featuring more Wright Way columns, visit barnesandnoble.com, booksamillion.com and amazon.com.
