“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7 (KJV)
Someone has said, “If I had known life was going to turn out this good, I wouldn’t have worried so much.”
One composer worried about the loneliness of “Sunday morning coming down” but the preacher’s worry engines get revved up on Mondays. Did I shake hands with everybody yesterday? Was anything said that might have been offensive? Were they just being nice or did the sermon really speak to their hearts? Why were so many “regulars” not there? Will the visitors come again?
Some things we worry about are reasonable concerns: a family member’s health, making ends meet, attending to all our responsibilities, etc. Despite the legitimate concerns in life, our worries have a way of becoming the driving force of our daily lives. The issue, of course, is one’s character. The Marine Corps has it wrong, pain doesn’t build character. Pain, problems, and difficulties only bring out our true character. How we deal with that business setback shows our integrity. How we deal with that health issue shows the quality of who we are. How we deal with family chaos shows our internal nature. We might ask, did that ‘someone’ above have as many struggles as me? And the answer is: most likely. But he or she had concluded that worry only serves to sidetrack the worrier from his or her purpose in life. Worry only hinders us from enjoying the journey.
Consider for just a moment the time and energy you spend worrying. Can you do anything positive to resolve the issue about which you are worrying? If so, then move positively and resolve it. If you cannot resolve the worry issue, then cast your care on the Lord and use your time and energy in more productive ways to move forward.
Is worry a lack of faith? It could be . . . but not necessarily. People of faith also worry about issues in this life. Believe this old pastor when I tell you that no one, absolutely no one, enjoys a stress-free life in this world. Repeating mantras about being too blessed to be stressed will not change reality. Serving Christ is not about attaining a stress-free, pain-free, problem-free, worry-free existence. Rather, it is about trusting him and being loyal to him despite the worries of life. Perhaps we should assert “I’m truly blessed despite the stress.” It would certainly be more accurate. Perhaps we should view our worries as opportunities to exercise faith.
Today, and this week, be determined to lessen your worries by giving them to the Lord in the faith that he will cause all of the issues to work in your favor.
Dear Father, thank you for your grace and mercy. Enable us worriers to cast all our care on you remembering that you care for us. This I pray in Jesus’ name. AMEN