Thursday, September 19, 2013

Worry Worry Worry Worry Worry

This Complete Breakfast - Day 7

Do you worry?

It seems like there's never a shortage of things to worry about. Health. People. Money. A zombie apocalypse. Heck, I'm married to an airline pilot. I could worry every day he's up there flying that he's going to become a headline. Here's another thing to worry about: The Bible says HERE that worrying is a sin. Bam. Now we can worry about worrying! Even the word "worry" looks worried to me. And it sounds worried. Say the word "worry" out loud several times and you realize it's a great onomatopoeia… doesn't it sound like something spinning out of control with pieces flying off in every direction?

That's about how the ancient Greeks defined it.

For reals. To them, the idea of worry or anxiety meant being drawn in different directions, shattering a person's soul into pieces. Conversely, their idea of peace was wholeness—that all the necessary pieces of life were joined together to form a whole. Picture your soul like a big jigsaw puzzle. Peace means you're put together and have a complete picture. Worry means there are pieces of you in the couch cushions, under the fridge, in the back of the closet, mixed with Cheerios in the cup holder of a minivan, and a few pieces might even be on their way to Goodwill in a bag of used toys. You're all over the place and you can't get yourself together! Your loving heavenly Father doesn't want that for you.



Maybe that's why he told us to do something rather unusual… He wants us to throw stuff on him.  You heard me. Throw stuff. On him. Here you go:

"Cast all your anxiety on him because He cares for you." —1 Peter 5:7

Ever heard that song from the 1970s that was written about this verse? 

"I cast all my cares upon you; I lay all of my burdens down at your feet. 
And any time I don't know what to do, I will cast all my cares upon you." 

That is a fantastic song, and I sang it incessantly as a kid. Mostly because it was pretty to harmonize on. If you haven't heard it, it's a slow, calm lullabyish kind of song. (If you're super curious, you can listen to it HERE.) And that's great for after you've calmed down. But what about when you're still full of that anxiety and you haven't cast it yet? What does it even mean to cast something, anyway? It means to hurl it forcefully away from you! Give it the old fling-boogie action! Heave-ho it like a desperate shot from half court at the final buzzer! Hard to capture that sentiment in a lullaby. I think we need sound effects, personally. Let me know if you come across a good one for this.

Why does God want us to hurl all our crap on him?

Because he's our great big Daddy and he cares for us. He takes a special interest in each of his kids and is concerned by what concerns us. Not to mention, he can handle it so much better than we ever could. We aren't meant to carry worry and anxiety in our hearts. It eats away at us like a cancer, literally making us sick, fracturing us into splinters in proper Greek fashion. We are weak. God is strong. He wants us to experience the wholeness of peace, and protect us from stomach ulcers and panic attacks. His command requires our complete trust and belief, because worry is an act of unbelief. But who better to trust than the One who cares for us most?


Okay Lord, get out your catcher's mitt…




Leave me a comment! :D

4 comments:

  1. Awesome post, Lisa. You're such a great writer!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you Andrea!! :D I so enjoy your writing too. <3

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you Lisa...you have a great way with words.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you. I hope you're encouraged by my ramblings. :)

    ReplyDelete