Today I chose to write a more personal, sensitive article about something that I have been battling with a lot lately: worry.
After I published my last article on sadness, I received a lot of compliments about my wisdom and my writing. This praise was very much appreciated, but I just wanted to make one thing abundantly clear: I have a lot of growing to do. I simply write on the lessons that God teaches me throughout my daily life, and pray that it can have a positive impact.
The newest lesson He has been teaching me over and over again is this: do not worry. God will handle it. God is sovereign, and He is good.
Any of my friends will tell you I am a positive person who typically has a smile on her face and always seems to have something good to say. Even I, the bubbly, happy-go-lucky girl who seems to not have a care in the world, still burst out in tears of worry just last week, and I probably will this week too if I'm being honest. Worry gets the best of all of us sometimes.
As I prayed about my worries, I realized that good can still come out of my struggles. Perhaps by sharing them, I could show someone out there that they are not alone. If even just one person were to learn that, I would count that as success.
God has been growing me through this struggle, and Matthew 6 has been quite the comfort to me.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" (Matthew 6:25-37)
You and I are so valuable to God. Before God even formed us, He knew us (Jeremiah 1:5), and He knew exactly how He was going to take care of us. He knows what we want every day, and He knows what we need every day. He will never fail to take care of us, and He will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). God never forgets to wake us up in the morning or to keep our hearts beating; why should we doubt that He will forget to help us in the class that we're struggling in or with our future careers?
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:33-34).
There is nothing beyond the control of God. All we have to do is seek God first, and He'll handle the rest. I've found if I simply sit back, and cast my anxieties on God because He cares for me (1 Peter 5:7), then He will take care of our lives better than we ever could ourselves because His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9).
When anxiety was within me, your consolation brought me joy. Psalm 94:9.
God is waiting to give you peace (John 14:27). All you need to do is ask and you will receive (Matthew 7:7). Once I took the time to settle down for a second and talk to God, I realized I am still in His hands—no matter what happens.
Life will always give you something new to worry about. That is why we have a God who is a constant, unchanging Rock. When you feel overcome with worry, never forget to take time for God, because He never forgets to take time to take care of you every day.