Philippians 4:9 is where another pivotal shift occurs.
9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
I imagine Paul saying to someone who is struggling with anxiety.
Don’t have anxiety, but if you do, that’s okay. Here is what we are going to do about it. And then I want you to not only meditate on the truth, but I want you to put it into practice.
put it into practice
Everything seems to hinge on taking what we know, and putting it into practice.
Taking our pain cycle and putting it into practice.
Taking our peace cycle and putting it into practice.
Insight alone is not enough. Meditating on truth alone is not enough. At some point we have to literally do something.
We have to take action.
We have to put it into practice.
The NRSV says:
9 As for the things that you have learned and received and heard and noticed in me, do them, and the God of peace will be with you.
We work through our anxiety by taking our insight and putting it into practice.
Whether that means putting yourself in an anxious situation and practicing working through it.
Or continuing to work through the steps of the pain and peace cycle as it leads you down a path of healing.