The Anxiety Opportunity: How Worry Is the Doorway to Your Best Self

Chang, executive director of the Christian outreach nonprofit Redeeming Babel, sets up anxiety as a source of spiritual growth in his earnest debut. Chang writes of being stressed as a latchkey kid who panicked about his parents getting home on time, and though he later harnessed his anxiety to succeed—landing him at Harvard—a breakdown in his 30s forced him to resign from his pastorship. After a religious reckoning, he realized that “for a Christian, anxiety is one of the most powerful opportunities” for spiritual transformation since “psychological discomfort” can spur growth. Chang explains that, while believers call on God to protect their reputation or finances in moments of anxiety, God doesn’t offer “quick fixes,” and as a result Christians should instead use these moments to deepen their faith through prayer and the study of scripture. Chang also suggests small ways to connect to Christ in stressful moments, such as spending time in nature, which is “filled with signs that God is constantly providing for his entire creation.” While Chang’s argument takes some time to come together, his perceptive descriptions of anxiety come across powerfully, and readers will appreciate his view that while anxiety can’t be eliminated, it can fuel positive spiritual change. Even the simply stressed believer will find something to gain. (May)