Anything scare you?
I’ll go first.
The more I try to attach to the treasures of this life, my fear and anxiety increase. What do I mean? Trust has never been easy for me. In fact, I have lived much of my life with insecurity. (lack trust = insecurity).
You see, when I was a young boy, my father suffered from alcoholism. This caused my siblings, my mother and me great tension at home. His behavior was unpredictable. My father also suffered from severe anxiety. In fact, alcoholism was just as hard on him as it was on us. In dad's generation, anxiety and depression just weren't talked about, leaving folks to self-medicate with alcohol. By the grace of God, persistent effort and much prayer, my father was able to heal from the curse of alcoholism later in his life and became a prayerful man. I still struggled with the aftereffects of my unstable home. Deep down I felt insecure and lacked trust. As an adolescent I buried this in competitive athletics.
So, what happens when we lack trust? We search for other distractions to fill that void. Material goods, food, friends, status, our physical body, and of course, chemicals (drugs and alcohol) to numb reality and our senses. When we see people obsessed with any of these worldly desires, they are usually trusting in themselves and in culture. This well always runs dry.
Only trust in God and a growing relationship with Jesus is the sure way to live life without excessive fear, anxiety, or depression.
Surrender to God was the pivotal change that I made in 2010. We all know the adage, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Throughout my entire life, I always believed in God; but I never allowed myself to trust anyone, not even our Heavenly Father. My life changed when my prayer intentions changed from “Jesus, please do this for me” to “Jesus, I’ll accept the path that you have created for me.” I am a work in progress and have a long way to go, but now I pray: “Jesus, I trust in you, Thy will be done.” Yes, even this tragedy, illness, loss, etc.
In 2010, I started feeling peace and joy for the first time in my life. In fact, I told Nancy that I have never described the feeling of having joy until I started trusting God’s plan. I must give credit to where credit is due. I believe that God brought Nancy into my life to lead me closer to Him by her prayer life, example, grace and patience. Together, our mission now is to assist each other, our family, friends and as many souls possible to live eternally in peace and joy with our eternal Father, beginning here on earth.
Now it’s your turn. What’s your story? Anything scare or stress you?
Recent studies show that Americans suffer more from depression now than ever. A recent Gallup poll reported that 29% of Americans have been diagnosed with depression at least once in their lifetime.
How can this be? We have access to more entertainment, more luxury, more comfort, and less hard work than ever in human history. Just in my lifetime (I’m in my late 50’s), we have added power steering, power windows, power seats, tinted windows, and have evolved from AM radio just in automobiles alone. Black and white TV morphed into widescreen HD color entertainment centers. More noise and more distractions are forcing our souls and minds into hibernation. We have forgotten how to think critically or have a conversation with others and with God (pray). Now most citizens are literally hypnotized and brainwashed by our culture which now receives information from robots (AI). Objective truths are erased and replaced with subjective truth.
Remember, “Every saint has a past, every sinner has a future,” (Oscar Wilde). We need to get comfortable being uncomfortable and that’s what living SMOL is about. Faith and virtues don’t grow when we’re comfortable. They grow when we are led out into the wilderness and begin to trust. “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22.
If you live with fear, anxiety or depression like I did, then I suggest you evaluate your relationship with God. Are you following His will and are you trusting in Him? Are you living out his commandments? Are you talking (praying) to Him daily and keeping holy the Lord’s Day? If not, start practicing SMOL today.
To live SMOL is an exciting journey filled with practical advice aimed at minimizing fears while creating your personal legacy, ready to hand your loved ones in a note pad at the end of life.
In the words of Catherine of Siena, “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire!” #LiveSMOL
-Steve Johnson
