Book Review, The Anxious Christian- Can God Use Your Anxiety For Good? by Rhett Smith

I received this book through the Moody Publishers Blogger Review Program for free in exchange for an honest review.

I gotta tell you when I picked this book I was really excited to get it in the mail as soon as possible. I was hoping it would arrive in time for my vacation, but alas the order was misplaced and they had to send it again. I received it after vacation and tried to get into it right away as I wanted to get this review and blog post done sooner rather than later. 

With getting back into the swing of normal life after vacation, it took me a lot longer to pick up the book and start.  When I did start it felt like pulling teeth to read through the first couple of chapters.  You see, it's a non fiction book, which are hard for me to read anyway, but it's also because the author himself isn't a prolific writer. His style is that of an amateur writer and a bit fragmented. I was disappointed at first but then I remember how I pushed through to read Corrie Ten Boom's autobiography called The Hiding Place and how glad I was after I got through chapter 5 and the book really took off.

Once I got into Chapter 3 of The Anxious Christian, I caught myself teary eyed and engaged because it was like at times I could have been writing the book. The words in his book are often things that I have said to myself or others in the past. 

The author references another Author, William Bridges' in his book Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes. He talks to something pointedly about the distinction between change and transition. 

Our society confuses them constantly, leading us to imagine that transition is just another word for change. But it isn't.... Change is situational. Transition, on the other hand, is psychological. It is not those events, but rather inner re-orientation and self-redefinition that you have to go through in order to incorporate any of those changes in your life. Without a transition, a change is just a rearrangement of the furniture. Unless transition happens, the change won't work, because it doesn't "take". Whatever word we use, our society talks a lot about change, but it seldom deals with transition.

This is where he talks about his Epiphany of what Exodus 17:1 says about the Israelites journeying through stages in the wilderness and likens the fact that we are people in the wilderness that are constantly in transition and change, with small respites from it. One of the reasons we experience anxiety is that God is persistently trying to move us through the wilderness, because it is in the wilderness that we are most dependent on Him, it is in the wilderness experience that God shapes us into the people He desires us to become.(pages 44-45)

He also states previously that when we experience anxiety we are in a place where freedom is opened up for us, by God. We can choose to run and hide or we can choose to embrace the anxiety and through the embracing, grow closer to God and where he wants us to be. He also states that this is NOT an easy thing, if it was then Philippians 4:6 would cure all of our worries.

I've never been one to do the exercises at the end of chapters of these types of books. With this book I did do a lot of them in my head that lead me to a lot of deep thought about my past and what could have contributed to feelings and habits I still do today.

I really enjoyed the way he explains how we get stuck in a rut.  He speaks to how when running there are two paths, one path is more easy to navigate, it's been worn down , we know it well and it's great. The second path is full of rocks, harder to navigate with lots of obstacles.  Over time our brains wire themselves this way as well. We have the easy path and the hard one. We tend to choose the one that creates the least anxiety, the one without option for failure. But when we do this we avoid growing. 

I enjoyed his use of Robert Frost here:  Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.

I was encouraged with the fact that his book is peppered with scripture and quotes from well know theologians and scholars. 

I've been looking at this book as a growth experience. I've been trying to use my anxiety for good change and personal growth. The problem there lies in the transition.  I've always hated change, felt unwell in my skin in those times of change, especially large changes. For example in my life: Moving out on my own for the first time, getting married, getting pregnant, being diagnosed with gestational diabetes, dealing with high blood pressure issues while pregnant, having a horrible birthing experience, postpartum depression, weight gain, struggling with not wanting more children but my husband did, making the decision to have another child, having another horrible pregnancy, losing weight after the 2nd pregnancy and feeling great only to discover it was a short respite and then back to diabetes, buying a house, having both children in school, understanding where to go from here. 

So, do I recommend the book?  Yes, it's a good one. The author starts out slow but moves forward with some great tools to move yourself forward. He speaks to wrestling with God, with creating space and boundaries, getting intentional, refining relationships and seeking help.

In an society where there is so many people facing anxiety we need a book like this to help us overcome fear and stigma.