That Anxiety Trail

Good morning! There may be some cold football games this evening. Gardens look kind of sad this morning with blankets draping their plants. Yet, at the same time flowers seem to peer out looking for the sunlight. The autumn rains came without waiting for autumn on the calendar. Cold, wet, and a sign that I need to get the heater doors fixed on my truck. Wet and outside or dry and warm on the inside of a house, you can probably find something to be anxious about without looking very hard this morning. We all have trials and tribulation in an ongoing state. Houses seem to fall apart without any help from us. Roads and bridges crumble with the passage of vehicles that are themselves falling apart. That old weather can change at any moment. Governments either want to make war on each other, or they will take a shot or two at their people. And there's just no telling what part might fall off of our bodies this day. Worry, fear, dread, and anxiety have plenty of targets to choose from on any given day. If you weren't thinking of anything to be anxious about, I gave you plenty in that list. No need to thank me, really.

Probably worse than worrying over one thing is that anxiety trail our adversary would gladly lead us down any ol' time. If my health seems good, the enemy will bring up the health of someone I love and dump all manner of dread and fear in my mind. If everyone else seems to be doing well, then my health is the target. Every good day can be turned into a bad day by following the enemy's anxiety trail. Jesus said to be free of worry; the enemy attacks with every worry in his black book. One thought leads to a darker thought that leads on to truly anxious thoughts, and so on. Soon, the Christian witness is buried in an avalanche on the anxiety trail. If you have never experienced one of those landslides of dread, worry, and anxiety, be thankful to God, for they do make a very dark time in life.

As with all things on that dreadful and dread-filled trail, the best cure is to first avoid a trip down it. This takes prayer and practice, as that trail head is never marked and often cunningly hidden in a bright, sunny day. The potential victim may be you on one day, me on the next, and someone we know or meet on the third day. The Adversary is not particularly choosy on most days; he just wants a victim to lead onto the anxiety trail for burial in an avalanche he has set up. Even the unbelievers can be caught on that trail, but there does seem to be bonus points awarded for Christian ministers, pastors, witnesses, and all those who believe in Christ.

Of course, we also have the most powerful help looking out for us, no matter what trail we may be on today. Praise God for His sovereign care and love!

Bucky