"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
– Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything? Yeah, okay, Paul. That's realistic, I say to myself as I sip my coffee in a booth of a restaurant and worry about the double shift I'm about to take. How could Paul say something like that so nonchalantly? Hello, I'm Little Miss Anxiety over here. I worry about anything and everything, even hypothetical things. But then I realize Paul was not the only one in the Bible to give such advice. Check out Matthew 6:25-27:
"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?"
Wow. I worry about all of these things, and I have a roof over my head, clothes in my closet and food in my stomach. Why am I so untrusting?
Last weekend, I got into a fight with a family member and went to bed really angry, hurt, and sad. I wondered, "If God loves me so much, why would he give me a family that I always seem to fight with?" Sunday morning rolled around, and I did not feel like going to church. I was in no mood to talk to God or listen to His word. I simply wanted to sit around the house, sip my coffee, and...worry. In my ideal day, I would spend the entire morning and afternoon in constant worry.
But the message that morning changed my mind. It was almost as if God were saying to me, "Jeanne, if you stop running around so much and just sit and listen, I can help you." Can you guess what the sermon was about? Worry.
The pastor used the verses mentioned above to explain why we should stop taking matters into our own hands and instead give it to God. She acknowledged that it's a really hard thing to do; but as Matthew says, we really gain nothing from worrying. If we're put in a position that's out of our control, what's the purpose in getting anxious over it? If something is bothering me, and I can actively go and resolve the problem, that's one thing. But if something's bothering me, and I know it's completely out of my control, the weight of worry can become absolutely crushing and can knock the wind out of me if I'm not careful. The pastor invited everyone experiencing anxiety to come to the altar and get on their knees, and she prayed over all of us. For the first time in a while, I explained my own troubles and worries to God.
I left the church feeling better than when I went in. I knew that I still had problems and that worry was lurking at my door ready to strike at any moment. But as the pastor pointed out, anxiety is a thief of joy. I don't know about you, but I don't want my life to be riddled with anxiety when I could be stepping out in faith regardless of the turbulent waters around me. I want to be like Peter, who walked on water to be with his Savior. I want to live fearless, knowing my life is not ultimately in my own hands, but in the hands of a good and gracious Father, who gives us His promise of goodwill for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11). It's hard to trust God sometimes, especially when I've been hurt by people here on earth. But then I look around at all the good I have in my life. All the positive people who love me. The sun that shines on my head when I sit on the porch. The warm breeze that blows in my car as I'm driving roof-open on the highway. I have so much good in my life. What's the use in dwelling on the bad? I know that whatever happens is going to happen regardless of my own plans or desires. So why worry? Give your anxieties and troubles to God before you start your day, so you have the mental strength to be the best you. Stepping into the void and handing the reins of your life over to God is terrifying, but freeing. Learning to trust God is a journey, but every day is one day closer to living worry-free.