Faith a way to counter anxiety

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/03/2025 (188 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Don’t be anxious about what you will eat or what you will wear. That’s what Jesus says in Matthew, chapter six.

That’s easy for Jesus to say! He wasn’t living in Canada in March 2025 with threats of tariffs rising and falling every other day. He didn’t have to deal with the uncertainty with which we are living. He didn’t have to address the prospect of inflation or unemployment suddenly rising unnecessarily at the whims of someone over whom no one seems to have any control or influence.

If I am going to make the claim that faith is a counter-force to anxiety like that caused by Trump and tariffs, I had better first acknowledge that faith doesn’t make anxiety go away. Jesus may say “do not be anxious,” but I am pretty sure that anxiety is part of the package in life. It can happen when life changes in an instant through things like accidents, or an unexpected phone call. And I recognize it because I know it in myself.

We are living in an anxious moment. In order to ease our anxiety, we might start by acknowledging the blessings of this moment as well. It’s more than just finding silver linings in a tough time. I believe there is great promise, and maybe the Spirit’s presence, in some of the ways Canadians are responding to the disrespect we are receiving from our neighbour.

Those responses manifest themselves in different ways, like in pride of place. Although Canada is far from perfect, we are nonetheless an amazing country with a unique history, indescribable beauty, and a scale that defies imagination.

We are also witnessing an uncharacteristic unity of purpose, the setting aside of provincial, regional and even party biases for the sake of a greater goal.

And the present moment is drawing out an impressive imagination among Canadians about how we might act differently in the world, who to consider friends, how to bring the best of Canada to those who desire our friendship rather than reject it.

In some ways, this is symbolic. I walked into a liquor mart the other day to buy a bottle of wine and saw a sign that said U.S. products were no longer available. The shelves inside were similarly marked. Will that have any effect in the long run? I don’t know. Perhaps not. But for me it is a symbol of how we have agency against anxiety. And, as Christians, we are especially familiar with the power of symbols to make new as the bread and the cup and the font remind us.

These practical responses to the present moment may ease anxiety. At least, temporarily. One can only hope that our unity and resolve can continue as long as this disruption lasts. But when Jesus says do not be anxious, I don’t believe he means it either as a command or as a directive to action.

When Jesus offers faith as a means to counter anxiety, I think he means “remember.”  Remember that we are not alone. Remember that God’s people have been this way before. Remember our true selves and our deepest values and do not set them aside in response to anxious times.

And remember that Jesus actually is living with us in the present moment. He shares our life and we share his. What we experience, he experiences. He has been this way before, demonstrating that love conquers all.

That includes the love of neighbour — even when that neighbour does not seem to love us.

As part of our Religion in the News project, the Free Press invited faith leaders to share their reflections on the United States’ trade war with Canada.

Michael Wilson is the minister at Charleswood United Church.

faith@freepress.mb.ca

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