Cindy Klassen is the Canadian speed-skater who won five medals at the Olympics in Turin. She is obviously an athlete of great determination and skill. Klassen is also a Christian whose faith has been a sustaining force through good times and bad. Along with her on-ice triumphs she has worked through serious injury, as well as keeping vigil with a sister who was nearly killed in a car accident.There was a front page article in the Globe and Mail recently about Ms. Klassen's faith and the small card which she carries with her containing words from Philippians 4, verses 6 and 7.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, by thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
The wording is slightly different in the New Revised Standard Version of the bible but the spirit is the same. These verses and the ones that follow them have been very meaningful for me through the years. It's great that a national newspaper has put Cindy Klassen's witness on the front page.
It is good news for a change, grounded in the Good News of Christ.
Philippians 4, v6,7 is indeed a beautiful passage, but it causes me anxiety. (You do see the irony, I'm sure) There is a great deal of comfort that can be found in knowing that we are not meant to be anxious, but it also can become a heavy burden, when anxiety is caused by a biological problem. It can feel like being tried as a witch when one is asked to cure their own disease through miraculous means alone.
ReplyDeleteI would love to hear from you (or anyone else) about this David.
You're right VI that some of us have a predisposition toward anxiety. Fortunately there are pharmaceutical options to help alay this. At the same time there is a growing body of research that suggests that drugs are often ineffective without a framework of support and the "self talk" that Philippians suggests.
ReplyDeleteSo we support one another as people of faith and remind ourselves as regularly as we can that we are not abandoned by a loving God, even though it may feel like it at times.
Thanks for your response.
I also think an anxious state is promoted from our culture. Those who are prone to anxiety attacks are not helped by the heavy message of fear through the media. If there was less pressure to despair and more emphasis on hope, everyone might feel a little less anxious.
ReplyDeleteDeborah
ReplyDeleteFor some reason hope seems like letting my guard down. It seems dangerous.