A Non-Anxious Presence

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. ~ Matthew 6:34

Chronic, low-level anxiety with occasional debilitating episodes has plagued me all my life. I’ve learned to manage it pretty well over the years, but as I’ve grown older and a little wiser, the subtle nuances of my condition come into the light. Like many things, greater self-awareness sped up during recent times of global and local disruption. Ironically, collective anxiety is at an all-time high because of sped up trends. It has not been a peaceful time for a leader who is prone to anxiety. I am grateful to God for divine intervention and for strengthening me in times of great need, yet I am more aware of the faint signs of stress that hamper my service to Christ. So, I’m asking my LORD to sanctify my vulnerability for His Name’s sake.  

A new (to me) source of enlightenment and influence entered my life about a year ago as a podcast by Mark Sayers of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He is the pastor of the Red Church and is skilled in interpreting the times we live in. His vast knowledge of social, political, environmental, and biblical context enables him to communicate remarkable insights to his constituents and other beneficiaries, like me. Sayers authored several books, which I am working through, including his latest aptly named, “A Non-Anxious Presence: How a Changing and Complex World Will Create a Remnant of Renewed Christian Leaders.” Sayers makes a crucial observation that hit home for me near the end of the book; “In anxious environments, leaders leverage influence through being a non-anxious presence.” (Sayers, Mark. A Non-Anxious Presence (p. 100). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.)

My life story contains countless episodes of crisis-intervention and mediation. The LORD seems to have wired me for it from an early age. I’ve been a first responder, EMT, firefighter, and Good Samaritan. In ministry, there are endless opportunities to be a non-anxious presence in times of acute anxiety. However, such times usually come and go, leaving interim periods of minimal stress. If not, the stress would debilitate, as I have learned through bitter experience. If I’m honest, then I have to realize my firefighter mindset — even when it looks like I’m relaxing, I’m expecting the alarm to go off at any moment. While being prepared is admirable, it is also possible for preparedness to devolve into chronic anxiety and stress. 

How do I leverage well-honed readiness for the sake of the vision and mission while resting in His presence, trusting in His provision, and releasing the full potential of sabbath?  So far, I’ve learned that God is way ahead of me, as always. He speaks, and when I listen, I am ready for change. For example, a friend recently risked wounding me to help me understand the way my anxiety comes out in meetings. An honest evaluation of anxiety reveals an expression of fear. So, the first thing an introspective, anxious person must do is identify the fear. I’m pretty sure I know what I fear in church meetings, but I’m not going there today. My firefighter readiness mindset and my sense of urgency about the discipleship mission generates behaviors that ultimately reduce my efficacy. My fear of failing enhances my chances of failing because it results in pressure applied to others that feel like expectations they cannot live up to. “LORD, I hear you telling me to be more patient with myself and others, even You.” 

What about you? Is there a place in your life where anxiety and fear causes you to do and say things you regret later? Do you find that people who love you accept your idiosyncrasies so well that you never realize what’s behind them? Ask the LORD to send a trustworthy friend to help you. The things that make you, you come from good places and bad. The way to sanctify the bad things is to embrace their effects and leverage them for serving the LORD. But, when your tendencies handicap leadership, you must have the courage to risk being in an emotional and intellectual space that is uncomfortable for you. For example, I have to go into meetings with a non-anxious spirit. I must learn to let the firefighter be off duty. I need to let the Holy Spirit temper my sense of urgency so that I can recognize the eternal perspective. With the LORD’s help, I can enhance my leadership by becoming a non-anxious presence in ordinary things. 

A Word to the Faithful Shiloh Family

Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho. And the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead as far as Dan, all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negev, and the region from the Valley of Jericho (the City of Palms) all the way to Zoar. And the LORD said to him, “This is the land that I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it.” (Deuteronomy 34:1-4)

I am drawn back to memories of my first visit to Mount Nebo when I stood on the windswept precipice, seeing the same view as Moses. It’s hard to describe the awe and wonder I felt as I scanned the wilderness vista with a gleaming Dead Sea near Jericho just below and the barely visible sun flare reflected from the Dome of the Rock at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in the distance. Moses would have seen the Negev Desert that borders Egypt to the South and he could trace the Jordan River snaking north to the Sea of Galilee and Mount Hermon, though haze obscured my view. 

We, too, are on the brink of a new land as Shiloh Church of Jasper. Like the Israelites who cast off the bondage of pagan oppressors and then refined their faith in Yahweh in the wilderness, we find ourselves reduced in number, leaner, and more efficient. The haze of myriad distractions and noise of endless media can obscure our view, but the land of God’s promise is still before us. There is a place where the Shiloh family will be God’s people and He will be their God. It is a place within the Kingdom of God’s Son who conquered sin and death for our sake so we can be a new people in a new land. We only have to trust and obey Him. 

The Israelites inhabited the land as instruments in God’s hands. When they tried to conquer their enemies in their own strength, they failed. But, when they simply did what the LORD told them to do, the battle belonged to the LORD of glory. We must do the same as we press into the promise. What is the promise? For Christian Believers it is the Word of Jesus Christ, whose promise comes with a command, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Our mission then, is to make disciples, first, of ourselves, then everyone whom the LORD puts before us. The same dynamic experienced by the Israelites is a play for the Shiloh family; trusting the LORD of glory and leaning not on our own understanding, we will inhabit the community with Christian virtue, gospel truth and love, words, and deeds worthy of our King, so that a new generation will know Him. 

Your faithfulness to God’s vision and mission through Shiloh Church, especially with your wealth, time, and talent is like confidently marching around the walls of Jericho as you wait to see the LORD break down earthly strongholds. Your regular giving, attending to worship and learning, and participation in the Christian community make you part of the Body of Christ, the new chosen people of God. When you walk by faith, not by sight, you rely upon Christ to direct your path, seeing that you do not stumble. (2 Corinthians 2:5) Therefore, I thank God for you and look forward to witnessing His glory in and through you in the coming months and years. Thank you for supporting the vision and mission set before us.