Anxious for Nothing - Chapter 5

"Contagious Calm:  Anxiety is needless because God is near"

Calm.  Anxiety.

I am more of the latter than the former.

Although I have been trying more to be calm, to not overreact, to think more before I speak.

In fact, I have been slow to respond, thinking my response through rather than spouting off the first thing that pops into my head, resulting in my husband and my daughters looking at me, puzzled that I haven't responded, then repeating the question or the comment, thinking that I didn't hear them.

No...I am thinking first.

I remember discussing at a faculty meeting the need for a crisis committee, one that would be the go-to people if an event occurred at the school which required cool, level-headed, calm teachers to control the students and maintain a peaceful atmosphere, preventing a chaotic situation from forming and erupting.  I was never asked to  be part of that group.  Understandable.  I have never given the impression that I keep calm at all times.

When I was living in Monticello during my first year of teaching, my apartment was destroyed by the tornado which ripped through the community.  After that, and still, I panic when I hear the words "Tornado Watch" and go into a fear mode when the word "watch" changes to "warning."  Even 40 years later the sounds of the winds increasing (and it really did sound like a train coming through), the shattering of windows, the dirt that blew through my apartment, and the sight of my vehicle covered with downed limbs stays with me.  When the girls were little, I feared that the winds might pull them out of my arms where they had retreated for safety, hurling them through the air to be found later in the fields by Pulaski.  That never happened, but the fear was still there.

When I was reading this chapter last night, I know I have some work to do in this area.  Anxiety has caused problems with me and my blood pressure.  I can feel the tension rise as soon as I approach the date of an appointment with my cardiologist.  I do have an issue with anxiety.

But there are some things I need to remember.  Gentleness is a fruit of the spirit but it is also a key to calm.  Being level-headed, even-tempered (this is a hard one for me), and steady are very important.  No panic. No over-reaction.

One line of the many I marked was this: "The contagiously calm person is the one who reminds others 'God is in control.'"  In order for me to be the 'contagiously calm person' I first need to remember this as well. God IS in control.  He is with us wherever we go, all the time. He never leaves us. There is never a moment to be faced that God is not there to help.

Spending time with Christian friends also helps us become closer to God.  I always appreciate that Tina always prays for us at some point during our visits. I can feel God's presence every time we talk, at lunch, in their store, standing in the lobby at church (of course).   I can feel God's presence with us when we travel to see the girls and the kids or when we have babysitting duties which sometimes requires lots of patience and energy, especially if Owen is at our house investigating the laundry room every time our backs are turned.

Working on the 'contagious calm' this week.  I hope I can remain calmer, work harder to be gentle, keep my wits about me (my grandmother's term), and impart a feeling of trust in others that I can be trusted in any moments of crisis.

God walks with us, beside us, every moment of every day. He is always there.