You may carry a lot of worry or stress if you're like me. I tend to carry mine in my shoulders. However, recently, I've started to notice that my stress manifests in more physical ways than merely achy shoulders (ex., migraines, spells of vertigo, racing pulse, etc.). And I'm now at a point where ignoring the root of the problem may potentially lead to long-term health challenges. So I need to stop worrying and overthinking. Done, right? If only it were that easy to decide not to let things bother you or not to overthink any longer. But that is rarely the case.
I've been advised to breathe through the worry or focus my thoughts on something peaceful. I've tried hot and cold showers. I've tried writing, reading, and talking with the goal of processing my thoughts rationally. And yet my stress levels continue to rise. We have very little control over some things like work, people, money, etc. And there will always be situations that are entirely out of our control, like emergent health issues, the economy, death, etc., and it's in these spaces of unknown or lack of control that we too often forget that, despite these factors, God is in control.
He knows our worries and our fears - both rational and irrational. He knows about the bill that will 'come out of nowhere' or the friendship hanging by a thread. These things do not give Him pause. Instead, He has a bigger picture of our lives and the kingdom, which provides the perspective we desperately need.
Luke explains in his gospel about this very notion, which Jesus spends time unpacking with his disciples.
"Then He said to His disciples: “Therefore I tell you, don’t worry about your life, what you will eat; or about the body, what you will wear. For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: They don’t sow or reap; they don’t have a storeroom or a barn; yet God feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than the birds? Can any of you add a cubit to his height by worrying? If then you’re not able to do even a little thing, why worry about the rest?
“Consider how the wildflowers grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these! If that’s how God clothes the grass, which is in the field today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, how much more will He do for you—you of little faith? Don’t keep striving for what you should eat and what you should drink, and don’t be anxious. For the Gentile world eagerly seeks all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.
“But seek His kingdom, and these things will be provided for you. Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Make money-bags for yourselves that won’t grow old, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also"" (Luke 12:22-34).
Can you picture Jesus explaining this teaching while he and the disciples are resting in a field? Can you see them passing by some flowers and celebrating the delicate beauty of the intricate petals? Maybe they are wondering what they will have for dinner or if they can afford to enter a city nearby to purchase bread or fish. And it is in this space that Jesus looks at the field and reminds them of how God provides for the smallest flower and the birds. He emphasizes that God doesn't forget that they need food and water to thrive and neither does He forget about us with our many needs.
Jesus is offering them perspective.
For many of us, worry breeds in a confined space, where the emphasis is centered around 'me.' But Jesus would have us step back and take the focus off of ourselves and instead think about the kingdom. If we focus less on our needs and focus more on the needs of those around us, something shifts within us.
When I focus on others, I go out of my way to ask questions about what my neighbors need, stopping by the grocery store or running down to the 7/11 corner shop. I pause to pray for them or write a note of encouragement. I send funds to help pay the rent or for an unforeseen expense. And all of a sudden, I'm unconcerned with my own life.
I can't and won't tell you to stop worrying; it's pointless because there will be seasons where we cannot escape this spiral. The adversary wants us stuck in this space. But I can tell you that if you can, try to pause and create space in your heart and mind to think about the needs of those around you. This is sincerely the only way I am finding peace these days. I can escape my selfish thoughts to focus on how God can use me to provide for his kingdom here on earth. I cannot promise you peace; only God can give you that. But if you need prayer to gain some perspective on hard days, please leave a comment below so I can be praying for you in this season because the conversation shouldn't stop here.
Shalom, Sarah
Thank you for posting this, I am going to try to make space for myself