The Anxious Christian

I heard an interview with Rhett Smith not long ago, and decided to review his book The Anxious Christian, sent to me free from Moody Publishers, in exchange for an honest review.

It was refreshing to read something that didn't come from the perspective of anxiety/worry being a sin, followed my admonitions to 'be anxious for nothing', and calmness would settle in.  I wish it were that easy. 

Being anxious about an event or life circumstance doesn't mean there is something wrong with one's faith. Rather, Smith believes that anxiety can be what causes us to lean into God and trust Him, thus being a catalyst for moving forward in life. Anxiety is a human condition, although some struggle more with it than others. Although the book did not explain the spectrum of anxiety, I do believe there is one. There is worry and then there is debilitating ANXIETY and a whole host of degrees of anxiety in between. At least, that's how I perceive it. 

One can choose how to deal with anxiety. There is a) the hiding, pretending all is fine, but feeling shame and b) honesty and working through it.  Anxiety is what can propel us to fight against living a 'safe life' in the comfortable ruts we have made, never daring to face our fears. But, as we know, the less we face our fears, the bigger they grow. And our lives can become stagnant, only a shadow of what they could be. It's a daily choice to walk through fear and 'grab life'. Some days are more successful than others! 

One particular truth from this book jumped out at me, based on Jeremiah 18: 1-6 where God tells Jeremiah to go observe the potter working with the clay.  Smith shared what his grandmother said to him when he was young. "Do you know that when a potter is working with the clay he never takes his hands off the clay as he is shaping it... and do you know the good Lord never takes His hands off of us?"  That was a great reminder that God is ALWAYS with us through the tough times. We don't walk through them alone. 

This book was encouraging, caring, and honest, a good reminder of the importance of working through anxieties. Included are end of chapter questions, activities and prayers, which would be especially helpful in a small group study. 

The Anxious Christian is well worth the read and is a good introduction to the healthy Christian view of anxiety and how God can use it for good.  For a more in depth study, I would recommend the book The Good News About Worry by Dr. William Backus.