I just finished reading “Monkey Mind” by Daniel Smith. Whew! I thought I had anxiety!
That’s the exact emphasis of the book: anxiety and its paralyzing effects.
And, while the book is “salty” in spots, it still hits home the difference between fear and anxiety. Fear is the natural response to a threat of danger. Anxiety, however, is the feeling, the “sky is falling” attitude to it. And those of us Chicken Littles know, all too well, how scary that sky can be.
Looking at what scripture has to say about fear, we see all kinds of things, especially about “the fear of the Lord:”
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
Proverbs 9:10
“The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.”
Proverbs 10:27
“In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.”
Proverbs 14:26
“The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.”
Proverbs 14:27
“The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.”
Proverbs 19:23
And then there’s the fear of man…
"The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe."
Proverbs 29:25
But, the gripping terror so many of us experience, again, that, anxiety, is mentioned in Proverbs 3:25:
“Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.”
That perception of sudden terror can make us feel hopeless and helpless. But is that terror real or is it, instead, the feeling of anxiety?
No matter what state our minds may be in, monkey or otherwise, God is still our answer:
“And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou was made to serve.”
Isaiah14:3
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not: for I am with thee…”
Isaiah 43:5
Let’s remember that when monkey mayhem strikes.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Monkey Mind
I just finished reading “Monkey Mind” by Daniel Smith. Whew! I thought I had anxiety!
That’s the exact emphasis of the book: anxiety and its paralyzing effects.
And, while the book is “salty” in spots, it still hits home the difference between fear and anxiety. Fear is the natural response to a threat of danger. Anxiety, however, is the feeling, the “sky is falling” attitude to it. And those of us Chicken Littles know, all too well, how scary that sky can be.
Looking at what scripture has to say about fear, we see all kinds of things, especially about “the fear of the Lord:”
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
Proverbs 9:10
“The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.”
Proverbs 10:27
“In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.”
Proverbs 14:26
“The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.”
Proverbs 14:27
“The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.”
Proverbs 19:23
And then there’s the fear of man…
"The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe."
Proverbs 29:25
But, the gripping terror so many of us experience, again, that, anxiety, is mentioned in Proverbs 3:25:
“Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.”
That perception of sudden terror can make us feel hopeless and helpless. But is that terror real or is it, instead, the feeling of anxiety?
No matter what state our minds may be in, monkey or otherwise, God is still our answer:
“And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou was made to serve.”
Isaiah14:3
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not: for I am with thee…”
Isaiah 43:5
Let’s remember that when monkey mayhem strikes.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment