Recently I have been dealing with stress and anxiety. There have been lots of changes, decisions to be made, and other issues that have left me tense and down. At the same time, the past few months have been filled with wonderful revelations, exciting possibilities, and confidence. On the surface these two extremes may not seem like they should be together, but if you read through the Psalms you'll see that they often do coexist. I often read through the Psalms and think, "I feel ya, Dave!" Worry often pops up when we are called to a new level of faith, doubt when we are reminded Who is really in control, and fear when a new path is laid out before us. I do not, for the record, think these differing views should stay together long. In fact, they cannot. When I am most anxious it is usually because a fork in the road has been presented - to rise up or stay put.
In dealing with this stress and anxiety I often thought of 1 Peter 5:7 and Psalms 55:22 where we are encouraged to "cast our cares upon Him." My struggle was that I was casting my cares on Him but nothing was changing. Each morning I threw my burdens to Him, but at the end of the day they came back like a boomerang. To be completely honest, I was tossing them to the Lord like I was delivering newspapers from my car and saying, "here you go, I'll be back later!" I viewed the process much like dropping off shoes to be shined up nice and pretty. You do the work, Jesus, and I'll be back later to retrieve the new product. Thankfully, Truth came into this situation - He never told me to throw my burdens to Him and leave. Jesus does not babysit my burdens.
He started gently whispering the word "abide" every time I thought of the word "cast". He wanted me to remain. With Him. He was reminding me of John 15. My stress and anxiety was growing because I was dropping something off and then turing my back. That's not how this is supposed to work. I wasn't anxious because of the burden I carried, I was anxious because of the relationship I was neglecting. In His presence we find peace, calmness, and assurance. We find our reason for being and the purpose of life. His Being is Life.
The casting and abiding are still taking shape in my mind as the truth of their meaning grows and becomes more clear. But, once again it is His grace that brings me back to His heart. It makes me think of the times one of my grandmothers would say to me, "come, sit for a while." They just wanted to be with me and spend time together. It was always a comfort to hear those words and to know how truly loved and safe I was with them. How much more are we comforted and kept safe by the Lord! So, I will keep striving to abide in Him as I cast my cares at His feet. I will remember to not treat Jesus as a babysitter for my burdens. Of course, this is temporary as I'm only passing through...
In dealing with this stress and anxiety I often thought of 1 Peter 5:7 and Psalms 55:22 where we are encouraged to "cast our cares upon Him." My struggle was that I was casting my cares on Him but nothing was changing. Each morning I threw my burdens to Him, but at the end of the day they came back like a boomerang. To be completely honest, I was tossing them to the Lord like I was delivering newspapers from my car and saying, "here you go, I'll be back later!" I viewed the process much like dropping off shoes to be shined up nice and pretty. You do the work, Jesus, and I'll be back later to retrieve the new product. Thankfully, Truth came into this situation - He never told me to throw my burdens to Him and leave. Jesus does not babysit my burdens.
He started gently whispering the word "abide" every time I thought of the word "cast". He wanted me to remain. With Him. He was reminding me of John 15. My stress and anxiety was growing because I was dropping something off and then turing my back. That's not how this is supposed to work. I wasn't anxious because of the burden I carried, I was anxious because of the relationship I was neglecting. In His presence we find peace, calmness, and assurance. We find our reason for being and the purpose of life. His Being is Life.
The casting and abiding are still taking shape in my mind as the truth of their meaning grows and becomes more clear. But, once again it is His grace that brings me back to His heart. It makes me think of the times one of my grandmothers would say to me, "come, sit for a while." They just wanted to be with me and spend time together. It was always a comfort to hear those words and to know how truly loved and safe I was with them. How much more are we comforted and kept safe by the Lord! So, I will keep striving to abide in Him as I cast my cares at His feet. I will remember to not treat Jesus as a babysitter for my burdens. Of course, this is temporary as I'm only passing through...
"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him,
he bears much fruit, for apart rom Me you can do nothing." John 15:5
he bears much fruit, for apart rom Me you can do nothing." John 15:5
Copyright © Rachel D. Butler and Only Passing Through. All Rights Reserved.
New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, California. All rights reserved.
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