Friday, April 23, 2004

So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.
(2 Corinthians 4.16 NRSV)

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Thomas S. Kepler tells about a group of 104 psychologists who made a study of their cases and determined a timetable for anxiety: At eighteen, we worry about ideals; at twenty, we worry about appearance; at twenty-three, about morals; at twenty-six, about making a good impression; at thirty, about salary and the cost of living; at thirty-one, about business success; at thirty-three, about job security; at forty-one, about loss of ambition; over forty-five, about health.

Every stage of life has its own concerns. The sad part is that we add to the weight of our concerns by the anxiety we bring to them. As someone has said, "Worrying is like a rocking chair. It will give you something to do, but will get you nowhere."

Life takes its toll. But St. Paul says two times in this chapter, "We do not lose heart." Why? "Though our outer nature is wasting away, OUR INNER NATURE IS BEING RENEWED EVERY DAY." So, though life takes its toll on our bodies, the inner person is being strengthened. How is that possible? How can we keep growing stronger internally even while life is taking its toll on us physically? We can grow stronger by filling our lives and our actions with the goodness of God.

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Lord Jesus, clear my life of anxiety and fill it with your goodness. Amen.

Ron Newhouse

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