Lent

A few weeks ago, God brought to my attention that I have a worry problem. This was news to me. I’ve known worriers, and I don’t act like them. I’m not the kind who frets over how to pay an unexpected bill or tosses and turns, fearful for the future of my children. Even so, I see that I have a problem with worry. Here’s what happened:

First, in my Lenten devotional book, John Paul wrote about learning to depend on God; he compared the journey of Lent to the forty years of wandering in the wilderness. God provided their every need, but the people had no control over their provision. He finishes the thought by saying, “For the Hebrews, the experience of being totally dependent on God thus became the path to freedom.” I had never considered a connection between trust in God and freedom.

The next morning I was listening to Creflo Dollar preach, and the topic was trusting God. He talked about 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” (NIV). Dollar described the usual kinds of worry for bills and children and health. And then he said something startling: “Worry is a perversion; carrying anything that you were not designed to carry is unnatural.”

That caught my attention! I’ve heard a number of things labeled “perversion” in my life, but worry was not one of them. I realized he is right: Scripture makes clear that we are not designed to carry worry and anxiety. Jesus is explicit that worry is not a part of the believer’s life (Matthew 6:25–34). Paul tells us to give everything over to God, and then we will experience the peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:6–7).

So, as I was contemplating how to structure a new assignment for my students, the Holy Spirit gently said, “cast your care.” Driving to work and considering how to resolve a conflict with my wife, I was reminded to present it to God. My first thought was, “am I worrying?” I quickly realized the answer was yes. I don’t have to think about turning over my finances or my children to God; I know those things are best handled by Him. And I know that God cares about the little things as well, and I try to turn those over too. The “stuff” I know I can’t really handle is easy to give to God.

What I’ve realized in the past three weeks is that there’s a whole other category of “stuff” that I’ve been dealing with myself, and I shouldn’t be. I’m a teacher; I’ve got more than a dozen years of experience creating assignments, so I “know what I’m doing.” But does that mean I don’t seek God’s help? I’m reminded of Paul’s words: “but in every circumstance and in everything” (Philippians 4:6, AMP). Every doesn’t leave room for anything to be left out.

I suspect that this is how we come to “pray without ceasing.” With the Holy Spirit as our constant companion, we say, “How should I handle this?” and “What do I say to this person?” and “When is the best time to handle that situation?”

I’ve become much more aware both of my own desire to handle things and of God’s desire to relieve me of unnecessary burdens. And I’ve discovered that all burdens are unnecessary. I wasn’t designed to handle them, and God, the loving Father, is waiting to take care of them.

So what are you worrying about?

Tagged as: anxiety, care, Creflo Dollar, freedom, Lent, Pope John Paul II, prayer, trusting God, worry