Be not afraid. I go before you always. Come follow me, and I will give you rest. – John Michael Talbot
When Moses was delayed in coming down off the mountain (he was spending time with God, don’t you know), the people down in the valley got bored. At first they were restless (waiting is always hard to do – are we there yet?); and then they were a bit concerned for his safety (Moses was in his eighties at this time, and climbing around that rugged peak had to be a bit of a challenge for him); and finally they gave up on his returning to them at all.
When we’re bored, bad things happen. I’m not talking about stuff happening around us. Life goes on and takes place whether we’re here or not. No, what I’m talking about are the things we start thinking about and doing in our boredom.
The children of Israel were restless. They were anxious, and when one is anxious, one’s imagination has a capacity to run wild. Moses was gone, the people had no idea what had become of him, and so they figured they would take matters in their own hand – uh oh.
They had plundered Egypt; they had taken off with lots of gold and silver knick-knacks and jewelry – so they figured they would convert their gold into gods (for: In Gold we Trust; and Gold Saves, they reasoned).
Their answer was to charge and barge; but God’s response was simply: Idol hands are the devil’s workshop (pun intended).
What do you do when you are anxious? People look for ways to reduce their anxiety. Nerves are heightened, so they scratch imaginary itches; sounds are magnified and transformed into lurking monsters; or they scurry from window to window looking to see what’s out there.
Instead of making a golden calf as asked by the people, Aaron would have been better off taking a moment to gather his thoughts – rather than stepping forward to gather their gold and do their bidding. He might have found a solution for the restless souls around him – a solution that would have been more appropriate.
When nerves are frayed and on edge, I have found that there are several things one can do to help bring relief to the moment.
The first step is to recognize that feelings are temporary and transitory.
When I stopped smoking, I did it slowly over time. I figured I picked up the habit one cigarette at a time, and the best way to quit was the same way. When I had an urge to smoke, I would wait five minutes. If the urge remained, I would have one, and then put it out sooner than was my custom. I discovered the urge would often pass if given five minutes, and so I was able to go longer and longer between cigarettes.
When feeling anxious, one can use the same techniques to overcome discomfort that smokers and addicts use to overcome their urges.
So the first step is to stop.
Realize that it takes the body time to adjust the chemicals the mind produces (anxiety is a by-product of chemical processes taking place between mind and body), so stop.
Take a five minute time-out; find a place where you can close your eyes and do nothing more than breathe quietly, calmly, and intentionally. Count slowly to three while you inhale, and again to three as you exhale.
Counting diverts your attention from what’s bothering you; the pace promotes a reduction in heart-rate; and being intentional returns a sense of control to self, building confidence and reducing stress. Note: Don’t do this while driving; pull over first!
It is amazing that breathing is amongst the most natural things we do as human beings, and is one of the first things we are all taught to do when stressed out, and yet it is the hardest thing to remember to do when facing a crisis of the body, mind, or spirit; but, as the bible tells us, we humans are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139), so breathe!
Because we live in a world where there is so much to stress and fret about, next week we’ll look at some other techniques God has provided to bring us peace, joy, and happiness in this, our world – No gold required!
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