“Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?” (Matthew 6:27).

I’ve been noticing how much the lies of our enemy work to make us anxious. And when anxiety becomes a habit, we lose sight of trusting God. The devil knows that anxiety is really a lack of trust in God, which is why he tries so hard to trap us into it.

Holy Priorities

My favorite story about the simplicity of trust involves Venerable Thecla Merlo. Over a century ago, she co-founded the Daughters of Saint Paul in Italy to print, bind, and distribute Bibles and other Catholic materials.

One day, she heard from her community in the Philippines: A long-awaited paper-cutting machine had arrived by boat. As it was being offloaded, a clumsy dock worker caused it to slip and sink to the bottom of the sea.

Mother Thecla’s response: “Why get so upset? It is less of a misfortune than a venial sin.”

Ven. Thecla often urged her sisters to keep God’s will top of mind and not be anxious when their own will was not followed, even when God’s plans seem wrong! Another time, she wrote to her sisters:

If you set about your work determined to do the holy will of God you won’t fail and you will see that everything turns out for the best. You will find help coming from the most unexpected quarters and the work will be easier. Believe it! Make an act of faith now! We never have enough faith, because we always think the best way to do a thing is the one that suits us best. Isn’t that really the problem?

Ouch.

It’s Normal

It’s normal to be tempted by anxiety. The great St. Paul wrote in Romans 9:2, “I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart.” Yet in 2 Corinthians 4: 8-9, 16-18, he wrote: 

We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed….Therefore, we are not discouraged; rather, although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.

Overcoming Anxiety

St. Paul says that the way to overcome any temptation to anxiety is to focus on the eternal and not on suffering, which is passing away. This is difficult, because the body and mind cry out for relief. But the will is stronger than both body and mind, and we can develop it through practice focusing on our glory in God rather than the temptation.

Do we do it on our own? No. Anxiety comes from trying to achieve our will or endure suffering on our own without sufficient trust in God. We fall for the enemy’s trap when we succumb to the lies he feeds us.

And here’s the grandaddy lie of them all: You’re not enough.

Enough for what? Enough to receive unconditional love from every person in our life? Enough to do everything perfectly (by our own standards)? Enough to predict and create an outcome that suits us every time?

The Anxiety Trap

We rely too much on our own strength to achieve results to our own liking—according to our plans.

Did Our Lady fall for that trap? Certainly she was tempted, but she chose not to act on her own will. Instead, she followed God’s will, from sweeping the floor and changing diapers to cooking dinner. And, ultimately, she stood at the foot of the cross as God worked out His plan. After all, she had promised, “May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

St. Paul knew that by himself he was not enough. “Who is weak and I am not weak?” (2 Corinthians 11:29). Yet, he knew God was working powerfully through him. “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me” (Philippians 4:13).

How Much Is Enough?

St. Paul’s example reminds us what “enough” really means. It means having faith that at every moment, God is giving us what we need to do His will, even if what is going on does not suit us or doesn’t seem to be working well by our standards.

What would “not being enough” really look like? It would involve being so focused on what we think should happen, and what we should be able to accomplish, that we forget to trust in the moment right in front of us.

The only moment we have is now. If we ask for God’s help and do our best in this moment, we are doing the most important work in the universe: glorifying God and collaborating with Him to save souls.

How to Overcome the Lie 

Include in your morning prayers an acknowledgment of how powerless you are to bring about any good without God’s help—and ask that His will be done throughout the day. Then, trust that your prayer is answered. Because God does not know how to do small things.

Rose Folsom is a convert, Lay Dominican, spiritual director, author, and speaker who helps Catholic women go from restless to resilient at rosefolsom.com—by guiding them to a closer connection with our loving God.