FRANKLIN COUNTY—”Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” – I Peter 5:6-7

There’s a lot of anxiety in the hearts of our society. If you’re breathing, you’re probably thinking about something going on that’s causing you some stress.

Many of the people we interact with each day are tense, worked up, easily irritated, uptight and on-edge! As we encounter folks feeling like that, we all are reminded that we’ve felt the same way at times.

When anxious thoughts fill our mind, God tells us to humble ourselves under His mighty power and that He will lift us up – to cast our cares on Him because He cares for each one of us! As we each struggle with our thoughts and the worry that creeps into our hearts, we should really pay attention to His divine direction.

In response to our anxieties, the Holy Spirit points us first to humility. His advice is both expression and application. He’s telling us that our anxieties must be transferred to Him, by choosing to have a humble heart! The choice to humble ourselves brings a peace that passes our ability to understand.

The enemy behind our anxiety is pride. Pride hinders our ability to empathize with others, and it renders us powerless to self-evaluation and change. If anxiety is causing you trouble, humble yourself. Remember you aren’t in control of everything, but God is in charge!

Have you ever noticed that health isn’t contagious? We don’t catch wellness from others, only sickness. Because sickness is contagious, sickness spreads! – and this principle is true spiritually also. Function isn’t contagious, but dysfunction is. Peace isn’t contagious, but anxiety is. Humility isn’t contagious, but pride is. Spiritual health isn’t contagious, but sinful gratification is! Spiritual strength never happens by accident; it’s a combination of what you create and what you allow.

Let’s make our community a little bit less tense by humbling ourselves before God and giving our worries to Him.

If we trust God, as the only one who actually is omnipresent and omnipotent, our anxieties will melt away into His care. He’s proven Himself to be trustworthy again and again. Your worries are no match for the Lord. He’s calling to you now to take on a humble mindset and to let Him carry you through. No matter what comes our way, our future is as bright as the promises of a loving God!

*Disclaimer: There is anxiety for which we need to seek medical help, which is “clinical anxiety.” This article is not intended to make light of anxiety; my goal is to help us learn to battle our “common anxiety” as faithful Christians.

Trae Durden has been the preaching minister at North Highlands church of Christ in Russellville since January 2013. He is married to Leann Durden, and they have a daughter, Darcy Grace (15), and a son, Dalton (12).