“A human being’s highest achievement is to let God be able to help him/her.”
- Søren Kierkegaard, 19th century Danish philosopher and theologian

I was deeply saddened to read in the news that Freddie Mac’s CFO, David Kellermann, allegedly committed suicide. Such news is always troubling and difficult to accept. Kellermann reportedly told company officials the day before he was found dead that he was working long hours and feeling stressed and needed a break. Clearly, he became overwhelmed with stress due to the many financial challenges he was trying to resolve within this failing government sponsored enterprise. This story is truly heartbreaking.

There is no doubt that we are all a little more anxious these days, especially as the United States continues to suffer from its own financial meltdown. We are learning every day that the unemployment rate continues to rise and that the nation’s housing crisis isn’t showing any signs of rebound. Some successful investors—such as Warren Buffet and Donald Trump—are telling reporters that this recession will get worse before it will get better, suggesting that it may take two years before we really see any “glimmers of hope.”

In addition, Matthew Bandyk of U.S. News recently reported that the countries of Iceland, Mexico, Pakistan, Ukraine, Venezuela and Argentina are currently facing severe economic disruption that endangers their standards of living, attractiveness to foreign investors, and political stability. Bandyk’s list included several other countries that are at also risk.  The current crisis is unquestionably global in scope.

Shouldn’t we still be really concerned about the future? You bet but we need not despair.

Jesus once taught his disciples about the devastating effects that worrying can have on someone’s life. He knew that the anxious person is often preoccupied about what may happen in the future that they forget to cope with the present. Such persons are anxious about imagined shortcomings, the future, their health, their families, and their work. This concentrated energy on worrying about the future can be crippling. Jesus knew that many of his listeners were overwhelmed with worry, some even paralyzed by it.

What did Jesus encourage his disciples and listeners to do? They were invited to follow him and live in a world where God provides for their every need. “But strive first for the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Mt. 6:33). In other words, Jesus instructed his hearers to trust God. By trusting God they would be able to avoid the pitfall where their anxieties take over and consume them.

All of us worry. However, when we spend considerable amounts of time worrying about things, it is only a matter of time before we begin showing signs of physical ailments—nervousness, sleeplessness, headaches, difficulty in breathing, or excessive sweating. Inability to find relief from such worry can, in more extreme cases, cause someone to experience a “nervous breakdown.”

A business executive once drew up what she called a “Worry Chart,” in which she kept a record of her worries. She discovered that 40 percent of her worries were about things that probably would never happen, 30 percent were about past decisions that she could not now unmake, 12 percent were about other people’s criticism of her, and 10 percent were about her health. She concluded that only 8 percent of her worries were really legitimate—in other words, things she could do something about.

How many of us are like this business executive? Rather than spending time concentrating on things we can control or change, we focus on those things that haven’t happened, won’t happen, or happened some time ago and cannot be changed now.

Jesus said, “Therefore, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Instead of worrying about our jobs or worrying about our families or worrying about our country or worrying about our health or worrying about whether we will find our true love or worrying about what to do with the “love” we’ve already found, Jesus would have us live out his teaching. After all, “Can any of us by worrying add a single hour to our span of life?”

Perhaps you are someone facing a difficult decision or problem and you’re anxious about it? Maybe you’re someone that is terrified about what the future may bring for you? My prayer is that you will be able to bring your anxiety to God and allow God’s Spirit to bring you peace in your present situation. The Apostle Paul encouraged the Philippians to “be anxious for nothing” and be more active in praying to God about their concerns (4:6). Give it a shot! It certainly cannot hurt. Or, speak with someone that you trust and have them pray for you.  Sometimes it is just better to be with someone who cares.

In these uncertain times, may we all be strengthened by the One who is always encouraging and welcoming us into his presence: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Mt. 11:28).