I must apologize to the great Tina Turner who inspired this title. Or at least I must apologize to Graham Lyon and Terry Britten who wrote the song that Miss Turner made so powerful. It’s an interesting question I think because love and anxiety are inextricably linked. Or more so, the lack of love and anxiety are inextricably linked. That struck me on many levels a couple of Sundays ago listening to the scripture readings and the prayers that were spoken at our church.
The first lesson came from the book of 1 Peter and, amongst other things, contained the following words:
“love one another deeply from the heart”
This commandment to love is one upon which I dwell often, as well as write about. Perhaps it’s because I believe that our whole reason for being is to love unceasingly and without judgment. I believe that this idea is at the heart of many of the world’s spiritual teaching and so whether the New Testament carries weight for someone, this universal call to action should resonate.
What specifically drew me to this part of this passage is that I believe it goes farther than the greatest commandment to love one’s neighbor as one loves oneself. The passage specifically invokes us to love deeply and not just in passing. And we are to love from the heart, not from some kind of empathetic synapse in our brain. Why is this important? Because the absence of deep love—given or received—is what provokes anxiety.
The scripture reading that morning was from the book of Luke which shares a post-resurrection moment with two disciples who are on their way to Emmaus, which the gospel writer noted was seven miles from Jerusalem. These disciples had left Jerusalem in disbelief that the resurrection occurred. They were focused on their loss and the feeling that Jesus had failed them. And I am certain that the perceived absence of Jesus’ love blinded them with what I will call a level of anxiety about the usefulness of their past lives and the truthfulness of their future ones.
They were so blinded that they were unable to recognize when Jesus came near and continued with them on their journey. Their anxiety made it impossible to recognize and receive the return of that deep love until “their eyes were opened, and they recognized [Jesus]”. Anxious no more, these disciples returned to Jerusalem able to further communicate the news and continue with the work that they been charged to do.
I was thinking about this interplay between love and anxiety when the prayers of the people were read. Often, these prayers feel so rote that I don’t listen to the words, and I simply mumble the responses on autopilot. That Sunday started the same. The same overall structure, the same overall exhortations, and the same overall responses. But then these words jumped out at me:
“[We pray] for all who have commended themselves to our prayers…that being freed from anxiety, they may live in joy, peace and health…”
There was so much to un-pack in those words. To commend oneself to another’s prayers is perhaps one of the most vulnerable things a person can do. It requires an unburdening, a sharing of concerns, an asking for support—something that a lot of people (me included) find difficult. In a manner of speaking, it is asking for deep love. And then the words about being freed from anxiety and the great benefits that freedom brings. At that moment, it became clear to me that providing deep love was more than a requirement, it was a necessity for the well-being of those around me. It was a necessity for me.
It is not simply about being a “good Christian” (whatever that means). It is about how an active means (deep love) removes the obstacle (anxiety) that prevents others from living in joy, peace, and health. Freeing others lets them provide the deep love that frees the people around them. It is the scriptural version of the old shampoo commercial “she told two friends, and they told two friends and so on and so on…”. That deep love enables others to realize the great work that God has intended for them to do. By providing that great love, we are agents in that realization. By denying that great love, we are getting in the way of God’s work here on earth.
We are living in a time where anxiety levels are running high. We don’t know what’s going to happen next. But I believe that is because we have replaced love (not even deep love, but surface love) with fear of the other which leads to hate. Hate is the opposite of true love and the ultimate driver of anxiety. Is it possible to get back to loving one another? Is it possible to get to deep love? Only God knows the answer to that question. But I do know the answer to the question of what’s love got to do with anxiety? And that answer is—everything.