How to Deal With Anxiety

ANXIETY ABOUT MONEY 

"After runaway inflation struck in our country, food became expensive and scarce," relates Paul, a husband and father of two.  "We stood in lines for hours, but often the food ran out before we got to the front of the line. People got terribly thin from hunger, and some collapsed in the street.  Prices for basic needs soared into the millions , then billions.  Finally, the local currency became valueless. I lost my bank account, insurance, and pension.

Paul was aware that, for his family to survive he had to use "practical wisdom." (Proverbs 3:21)  "I was an electrical contractor, but I took whatever work I could find, at much less than normal pay," he explains.  "Some paid me in food or household goods. If I was paid  four bars of soap, I'd use two and sell the others. I eventually got 40 chicks. When they got big, I sold them and bought  300 more. Later, I bartered 50 chickens for two 110-pound (50 kg) bags of cornmeal.  From those bags, I fed my family and several other families for a long time."

Paul also knew that the most practical thing anyone can do is trust in God. When we do  what God commands, he helps us.  In regard to obtaining life's necessities, Jesus said:  "Stop being in anxious suspense; for . . .your Father knows you need these things." -Luke 12:29-31.

Tragically, God's great enemy, Satan, has  tricked most of the world into centering their lives around physical concerns.  People worry desperately about their needs, real and imagined, and strive anxiously to obtain things they do not really need.  Many go into debt, learning the hard way that "the borrower is a slave to the lender." -Proverbs 22:7. 

Some people make damaging decisions. "Many neighbors left their family network of friends to search for 'greener pastures' abroad," relates Paul.  "Some went without proper immigration papers and were unable to find work.  They often found themselves hiding from the police and sleeping in the streets.  They did not give God an opportunity to help them.  But we resolved to face financial  problems together as a  family, with God's help."

Next time: ANXIETY ABOUT MONEY -FOLLOWING JESUS' ADVICE

From The Watchtower magazine, 2015