“Our age has been called the age of anxiety, and I think it’s probably a good description for this time. We no longer know where our foundations are. When we’re not sure what is certain, when the world and our worldview keep being redefined every few months, we’re going to be anxious. We want to get rid of that anxiety as quickly as we can. Yet, to be a good leader of anything today – to be a good pastor, a good bishop or, I’m sure, a good father or mother – you have to be able to contain, to hold patiently a certain degree of anxiety. Probably the higher the level of leader you are, the more anxiety you must be capable of holding. Leaders who cannot hold anxiety will never lead you to anyplace new.

That’s probably why the Bible says so often, “Do not be afraid.” I have a print out that actually proves the phrase appears 365 times! If you cannot hold a certain degree of anxiety you will always be looking for somewhere to expel it. Expelling what you can’t embrace gives you an identity, but it’s a negative identity. It’s not life energy, it’s death energy. Formulating what you are against gives you a very quick, clear and clean sense of yourself. Thus, most people fall for it. People more easily define themselves by what they are against, by who they hate, by who else is wrong, instead of by what they believe in and by whom they love.”

—Richard Rohr in Hope Against Darkness

I have a lot on my mind right now. Richard Rohr just reached into my chest and gave my heart a pump…

Tags: anxiety, Hope Against Darkness, quote, Richard Rohr