WAR ON WORRY 5

“Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.” ~ I Peter 5:8 (AMPC)

REFERENCE:

I Peter 5:5-8 (AMPC)

It is pertinent that I continue on the subject of worry from the upper week. There is an increase in concerns around many people’s mental health today, and often at the root of it is a relentless spirit of worry that wants to dominate the mind, keep your eyes on what is not working well, and cause you to forget God. You must declare war on worry so as not to be a casualty.

There are several worry-inducing scenarios around us that we may be unable to control, but often, many people’s worries stem from overloaded lives and schedules. By nature, some people are ‘doers’ who must always be doing something; their plates are full of activities, goals, deadlines, targets, and responsibilities. At other times, it is full of self-censuring thoughts: “You failed here, you are not doing enough, you need to help the needy, plan to meet the CEO, etc.”

Picture it like this: A young boy is on a journey with a box on his head. Every so often on the road, he picks a stone and puts it in his box – some big, some not so big. Some stones are given to him by others, some he picks because he can’t stand leaving them behind, some he picks to show his accomplishments, and others to give as a gift at his destination. Soon, on the journey, he begins to be weighed down by all the ‘stones’ he has collected along his way.

What stones have you picked and put in the box of your mind? What are the extra things you do that leave you drained? What do you do that another can do? What should you say No to but find difficult to do? Whose ‘stone’ is in your bag – burdens you carry that God did not assign to you? These things soon weigh your spirit down, and you begin to feel depressed.

Peter’s counsel to you today is ‘roll them unto the Lord.’ You cannot bear all the load yourself; you are not Superman; you can’t solve every problem and face it; you can’t be there for everybody. What have you loaded your box with that isn’t meant to be there? What do you need to drop from your box? Cast all your cares, anxieties, and concerns on the Lord; He truly cares for you. Declare war on worry before it sabotages you; drop all unnecessary stones today.

PHOTO QUOTE

ADDITIONAL TEXTS:

Matthew 11:28-29, Psalm 55:22, Hebrews 12:1, and Matthew 6:26

TO DO:

Inventory the activities, roles, or responsibilities that cause you distress or emotionally weigh you down. Which one(s) of them can you do without or stop doing? Which of them constitutes unnecessary weight? Which can you stop doing or delegate to someone else? Is there an obligation you have taken on that you need to extricate yourself from? Take this season to do this self-appraisal and empty your box so you travel light.