Face Your Anxiety By Turning Off the Autopilot
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”
Our present financial stress is painful. Along with holding our leadership responsible due to the unnecessary Iran war, we must focus on how to survive and even thrive with less. In his article, “This Is How to Get Your Life Off Autopilot,” John P. Weiss provides a roadmap for facing our new challenge. Weiss claims, “We’re so comfortable we’re miserable.” There is a blessing in uncomfortable stressors. It challenges us to face discomfort, move beyond the limits of our comfortable existence, and move to a more meaningful place.
When Jesus called the twelve Apostles, it wasn’t to a more comfortable existence. I sometimes wonder if those Apostles knew beforehand the challenges that God laid before them; would they still have dropped everything and followed him? I would like to think so. Having Jesus in our life is so much more meaningful than a little extra comfort. A friend once asked if I made a mistake going into the ministry, when I could have made more money in another line of work. He asked while I was looking at his family’s Caribbean vacation. I said that even if I made more money, it would probably go to my pledge anyway. Over the years, I’ve felt more satisfaction watching God at work caring for others than the fancy vacations we’ve missed.
Weiss continues by encouraging us to “Try new things.” Like the fishermen who dropped their nets and followed Jesus, we are called to drop our old mediocre patterns of life and stretch our comfort zone. With the current financial struggles, we have no choice. We are being forced to try new things. When we cannot eat out as often, for example, learning to cook becomes an important skill many are developing. This is a time to keep learning new things.
For many younger adults, high prices on everything from food to gasoline are new realities. Yet, this difficult time can make us stronger people. When we don't have the income to do our previous activities, we learn to reset priorities and feel more comfortable in our own skin. We are less defined by what we have or what we do, and more by who we are. We are children of God, valued by our compassion, love, and faithfulness, rather than by turning on life’s autopilot. As we adjust to our new lifestyles, allow God to make us uncomfortable enough to try new things and make a greater difference in our world.
