My Anxiety

Day 253: 1 Corinthians 11:16-33

“And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.” - 2 Corinthians 11:28 ESV

As you read through our passage for today, you may have noticed the heavy sarcasm that Paul uses at the beginning. The "so am I" statements are then followed by a laundry list of difficulties he faced. Paul uses the word danger nine times in all of his letters, and eight of them appear here in 11:26.

Talk about being vulnerable. Paul is laying his heart on the line to convince these Christians in Corinth that he is the real deal.

Craig Groeschel is often quoted as saying, "People would rather follow a leader who is always real than one who is always right."

Haven't you found this to be true in your life? Someone who seemingly has it all together is nearly impossible to identify with. This is because we all struggle.

Paul admits to feeling daily "pressure" and that it was causing "anxiety" when it came to caring for these churches. The Greek word he used for pressure is epistasis, which can also be translated as burden. Burdens threaten to attack us all with anxiety. This is a sign of being a human who cares for others.

These feelings do not disqualify us; they can actually help us become better leaders.