The simplest way to say it is I just don’t have a head for numbers.
But the square root of the matter is the concept of mathematics overwhelms me. I think of a multiplication problem and find myself looking upwards, as if trying to picture some image stored in my mind’s archives. Put me in the kitchen and my nose wrinkles, as if the smell of the ingredients would inspire the imperial conversions I’m desperately attempting to adapt to metric. Give me a cribbage board and my lips count silently to 15 and 31, to hide the fact the pegs are the only way I can keep track of my score.
Face contortions aside, perhaps my math “issues” are one of the reasons I connect with Chuck Swindoll’s anxiety analogy in his booklet Overcoming Anxiety. Because math definitely makes me anxious.
His four basic principles of anxiety and its destructive power are simple and easy to remember: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Addition
We worry when we add pressure onto our already full plate. By adding more activities to an already busy schedule, or by attempting to live up to everyone else’s expectations, anxiety defeats us and causes anger.
Subtraction
We worry when we subtract God from our situations. When we eliminate God from our daily routine and forget about His presence in our lives and times get tough, anxiety overcomes us and causes doubt.
Multiplication
We worry when we multiply our problems by inserting our own solutions prematurely or thinking the worst. When we try to “rapid-fix” our problems, complications invariably follow. And we stress when these solutions fail. Anxiety roots in us when we insist on finding our own solution out of a tough stretch instead of taking God’s path.
Division
We worry when we divide life into secular and sacred. When we compartmentalize, we’re not giving our entire life to God. He wants every aspect of us. By selectively trusting Him, we forget about His daily provisions. The less we allow Him to be a part of our everyday, the more anxious we become.
A good principle for living comes from the Christian’s manual for life: the Bible. “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes,” (Matthew 6:33-34 MSG).
Do you find yourself doing math instead of trusting God? What are some ways you’ve been able to overcome anxiety?
By Robyn Roste
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