April 18, 2020 “BE ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING!” Philippians 4:6-7
Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… As I have reflected on the challenges and anxiety producing events of the past few weeks, I thought about an event, in my past, that helped me with dealing with fear and anxiety. The month was May, one of my favorite times of the year, and since 1973, May has been the month that I began to enjoy being me. For as long as I can remember, I have been painfully shy and would go to great lengths to avoid interpersonal contact with strangers. Early in the month of May, in 1973, one of my classmates, a girl, was having a birthday party dance and she invited me to attend. It was a mystery to me why she asked me and it was equally challenging to think that I might go. What would I do? Would I stand along the wall with all of the other shy folk or would I make a fool of myself? Not being one to hurt anyone’s feelings, at least on purpose, I said yes. The Saturday night “torture time” was approaching and I became more and more anxious about this experience. What if a girl asks me to dance? What if no one asks? Oh yeah, I don’t know how to dance! The days, and especially the nights were agonizing. This party was the talk of the school and listening to the “cool” kids talk about dancing “slow” gave me a stomach ache. How was I going to survive this? All I could think about was this incredibly stupid thing that I had done; I said yes!
Well, the night arrived. I had Mama press my pants and shirt and I polished my shoes; at least I would look the part, anyway. That was the longest day I had ever lived and when my friend knocked on our door, I was committed. Kenny said, “Let’s go, we don’t want to be late.” So, off we went, walking to Cheryl’s house. My feet were as heavy as concrete blocks and my mind was cluttered with doubt, worry and fear! Why am I doing this? What a dummy! We were greeted by Cheryl’s Mom and Dad, given a simple set of instructions and then told to “have a good time.” Yeah, sure! My friend Kenny, who never met a stranger, quickly became the life of the party. The music was loud and the food was amazing and I was a mess. I began to notice that I wasn’t the only one “hugging” the wall. There were guys that I thought were “hip”, just standing around. Then it happened, my fears were realized; a girl, a tall girl, a pretty, tall girl asked me to dance with her. My life, although short, flashed before my eyes as I stumbled for words. She took me by the hand and hauled me out onto the dance floor. I was satisfied that I was going to die! What would these people think? How am I going to survive this humiliation? I quickly scanned the dance floor to find one guy that seemed to know what to do and copy him. Wouldn’t you know it, it was Kenny. He was twisting and jerking around as if he was having a fit. So, I did exactly like Kenny! Guess what? I began to focus on my partner, and she was actually no better dancer than me. Wait a minute! Am I having fun? Could it be that all of the worry and stress was for nothing? To make a long story short, I did dance with many girls that night (most were taller than me, go figure), and that dance, that time, that night, helped me to understand the scripture that tells us to not be anxious! What a waste of energy and time I was involved in. From that night on, I realized that all of us have fears and dreads, yet when we are grounded in faith and are walking with Jesus, our fears and anxiety should no longer dominate our lives. You see, when our faith increases, our doubts and fears decrease! Remember the scripture: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)
Are you a worrier? Do you realize that most of what you worry about will probably never happen? I challenge you to “walk in faith” and claim His promises! Again, as our faith increases, our doubts and fears decrease! Stay Strong, Stay Focused… Remember…THE BEST IS YET TO BE!