Casting Our Cares

Lately I have been feeling a lot of anxiety for many different reasons, but a majority of the time I don’t know why. Of course it’s not so surprising, what with AP tests, the end of the school year, and graduation all happening at once. Yet there are times that I have been anxious for seemingly no reason. It is in these times of anxiety that I am reminded that God is in control and has a plan. God is like the eye of the storm, the calm in the midst of chaos. 

It is easy to wonder where God is when everything around you seems to be spiraling out of control. We often forget that God is in control of everything. He has a masterfully and beautifully written plan for each and every one of us, yet we still yearn to have some semblance of control in our lives.

It is not hard to find someone suffering from anxiety in this crazy world that we live in today. A lot of times we just accept this, but we as Christians have a mighty weapon that we can use to combat this anxiety. There is verse after verse in the Bible that tells us to not be afraid, to not have worry, to give our anxiety over to God. Yet we still fail time after time. Why is it so hard to give our anxiety to God? Why do we want to cling to such a horrible and sometimes debilitating thing?

I don’t think the answer is as easy as it might seem. There are probably thousands of reasons as to why we can’t just hand over our doubts. But in the end there is only one solution: Give all of your doubts and anxieties over to the Lord. 

Matthew 6:25-34 tells us not to be anxious because if God feeds the birds of the sky and the lilies of the field, then He will do more for us who are of more value. We cannot extend our lives by worrying, so what’s the point? One verse that stands out to me in this passage is verse 34, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” We are told that there is enough to think about today, so you shouldn’t worry about tomorrow. Luke 12:7 builds upon this idea by saying,  “Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.“ God provides for all living things on this earth, and we have more value than the plants and animals. If God provides for the things that are less valuable than we are, He is going to do the same for us and more.

So why do we hold on to our anxiety so tight when we would be so much better if we just let it go? We have so many passages and verses about why we should not be afraid or anxious. It is so encouraging to read that God values us much more than the plants and animals of the world, and He still clothes them and will do so for us. So why don’t we want to hand over our anxieties to God?

I think that sometimes we feel anxious because God wants us to turn back to Him. I know that for me personally God provides such comfort. I often find myself repeating scripture in my head to calm myself. Most of the time the verses have nothing to do with anxiety; I just repeat any and all scripture that I know. And it works. Just by repeating God’s Word I feel better. We are told to praise God in the valleys as well as on the hills. I believe that our times of anxiety, our times in the valleys, are opportunities for us to dive into the Word of God, for us to launch ourselves into the arms of our Savior, and for us to grow in our faith in our Everlasting Father. I know that it is not always easy, but it is absolutely necessary.

So that is what I am going to try to do. I know it’s probably never going to end, but I also know how important it is for us to go to God in our struggles; I have seen its effects personally. I know I could do a better job at it, and you probably could too. So I want you to join me in “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7. It’s not going to be easy, but this is what God tells us to do.

With love,

Ali Goolsby