Stop And Smell The Roses
During COVID–19, I found the strangest cure for worry.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and like you, I battled worry and yeah, anxiety when that whole coronavirus thing came upon us. It was hard to get hoses for my breathing machine; I could not get to the clinic for my anti-cancer shots and had to postpone follow-up appointments; I cut down on caregivers, which put an extra burden on my husband. Now, I don’t want to go through a litany of things here; but you need to know that, yeah, I struggled with a little anxiety. But I will tell you what helped the most.
Every day Ken and I found time to sit in front of the sliding glass door facing our backyard patio and we enjoyed the flowers; we made friends with birds and two squirrels. In fact, the birds and the squirrels got into the routine of, every afternoon, coming and sniffing around the patio door for, I don’t know, breadcrumbs, cracked nuts; we put out peanuts. We got to know two blue jays and their baby. And two beautiful hooded orioles with their colorful side feathers. Then there were juncos, doves, and a few towhees. My husband got into this so much, he went out and bought a big bag of dried mealworms. I was not excited about that. Mealworm dust on the floor – oh! But, hey, it sure made the birds happy. And the squirrels made us laugh. They loved the peanuts so much, they kept trying to stuff as many as they could in their mouths. Greedy little guys!
Now, just a couple of weeks into this routine and I noticed I was so much more relaxed, far less anxious, and happily entertained. Worry did not seem to encroach on my thoughts. And then I discovered why. Because listen to this; listen to what Jesus says in Matthew chapter 5 starting with the 25th verse; it’s astounding. He says, “I tell you the truth, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? [Now get this…] Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? And consider the lilies of the field and the way God clothes them.”
So, right there, from Jesus’ mouth, you’ve got an antidote against worry. The cure for anxiety. And what does your Great Physician prescribe for you who worries and is anxious? Well, here’s what you do: you consider the birds of the air. You think about the lilies of the field. In other words, Jesus is telling you to take time to enjoy the squirrels, the mourning doves, the blue jays, the juncos, the towhees, the flowers; pick a few; inhale their fragrance. Because all this is not a way to spend idle time – you know, the stuff you do in between things? Enjoying birds and flowers is a habit to cultivate against stress, anxiety, unease, worry, and the burdens of your day. In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus tells us not to worry several times. And then he says what to do instead: stop and smell the roses. Because according to Jesus, that’s not an option. A cure for anxiety is to consider the lilies of the field and the birds of the air.
Friend, if you’re battling nervous thoughts, especially as we head into the fall season, if these thoughts keep messing with your mind – find a park, go to your backyard; take a walk in the neighborhood; enjoy the birds and flowers. They’re your antidote; Jesus says so. And let us pray for you at Joni and Friends; because we sure do love sharing hope through every one of your hardships at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends
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Finding God in Hidden Places
Joni invites you to join her as she explores the presence of a holy God in hidden places.
Words of encouragement, comfort, and insight leave the soul satisfied and longing to be closer to a loving Father, who often shows up when least expected.
