Matthew under the arm 24
I am increasingly aware as I walk along on this pilgrimage that anxiety is a considerable 'presence' in my life. In my ruck-sack is a little pocket radio.... I listen to the news. For most of my life, I have been anxious about international crises. The truth is that that anxiety is about my life and my survival. So the anxiety has become a kind ofm guilty secret..... the poison at the root of the tree, indeed. Columba has noticed this habit of mine. He makes no judgement. Only those who have not come to terms with fear and anxiety make judgements. I ask him if he is afraid. 'Of course,' he replies with a smile. 'There is a wisdom in insecurity. That is the way things actually are. The rest is illusory. That wisdom of insecurity,' he then went on to point out, 'leads me and you into the mystery of the God of Love.'....
Matthew 6.25-33...
The two psychological roots of worry are the threat of rejection or the threat of physical insecurity and possible death. Both are inteimately related, of course. To be rejected is a death. Everyone is afraid. Those who say they are not, either have a way of 'handling' being afraid, or else they are attempting to hide. For Jesus te proximate Kingdom of God added urgency to his attitudes. Guilt at being afraid is poisonous. The simple command provides the opportunity to reassess where my trust is. If what I buy, wear, eat.... is an attempt to protect myself from threat - then there is a question mark over what place my belief in God has in the way I live and in the way I die.
Bring me into a deeper trust in You and transform the anxieties of my heart.
What must be avoided in this prayer time is the feeling of guilt about being afraid. That can deepen anxiety and can indeed be a danger to psychological health. What you are asked to look at here is the way in which you protect yourself from rejection and insecurity. Of course, there is no complete security except in the Love of God. God is the One who will deepen trust. Two other processes arise out of this prayer. One is to share anxieties with someone you trust and the other is to practice little acts of trust in relationships and in life-style.
[I'll be on a part of the pilgrimage that's going to make it difficult to add postings for the next six days... ]
+Martin
Argyll and The Isles
Matthew 6.25-33...
The two psychological roots of worry are the threat of rejection or the threat of physical insecurity and possible death. Both are inteimately related, of course. To be rejected is a death. Everyone is afraid. Those who say they are not, either have a way of 'handling' being afraid, or else they are attempting to hide. For Jesus te proximate Kingdom of God added urgency to his attitudes. Guilt at being afraid is poisonous. The simple command provides the opportunity to reassess where my trust is. If what I buy, wear, eat.... is an attempt to protect myself from threat - then there is a question mark over what place my belief in God has in the way I live and in the way I die.
Bring me into a deeper trust in You and transform the anxieties of my heart.
What must be avoided in this prayer time is the feeling of guilt about being afraid. That can deepen anxiety and can indeed be a danger to psychological health. What you are asked to look at here is the way in which you protect yourself from rejection and insecurity. Of course, there is no complete security except in the Love of God. God is the One who will deepen trust. Two other processes arise out of this prayer. One is to share anxieties with someone you trust and the other is to practice little acts of trust in relationships and in life-style.
[I'll be on a part of the pilgrimage that's going to make it difficult to add postings for the next six days... ]
+Martin
Argyll and The Isles
posted by Martin at 8:11 am
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