An Anxious Mind

“And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.” – Luke 12:29-31

Are you a list maker? I am. I make to-do lists, grocery lists, Christmas lists, travel packing lists, errand lists, and even lists of things to remember to do the next time I make a list. If I don’t have it written down, it doesn’t happen! I call my office phone from home and leave myself a voice mail of what I have to do the next day. Then sometimes I make a note on a post-it note, and put it on my purse so when I leave, I’ll remember.

I never want to catch myself being unprepared. I worry over forgetting something important. I worry that I’ll not remember to pick up my kids from school, or that I’ll forget to pack their sneakers for school. I worry over forgetting things at the grocery. There’s no greater feeling of defeat than spending an hour and a half in Wal-Mart only to get home and find you forgot the one item you needed most!

I know first hand about the effect of being anxious and worrying over the smallest details. It can become a compulsion. Worry can cloud your mind to the extent that you can’t complete a short prayer because the thoughts invade your conversation with God. They can take over your mind while you’re sitting on a church pew listening to God’s word. They can cause you to run stop lights, which really gets scary!

But God says to be anxious for nothing. He says not to worry over all the things of the day. Nothing will happen today – or tomorrow – that God doesn’t have control over.

Worry is a weakness of faith. If you truly 100% believe with all your heart that God is looking out for you, why worry that you forgot the butter at the grocery? Maybe you really didn’t need the butter for reasons only God knows!

I do wish that when we are saved we could start with a token in our hands that allows us to trust God for everything 100%. But it doesn’t work that way. As with people, trust in God must be earned. It takes small steps of faith to build a tall staircase whereby you can view his faithfulness.

The problem is, as long as your making lists and trying to do the job yourself, God can’t get the credit for helping. Your not building a single step on your staircase.

Luke tells us in chapter 12 to not have an anxious mind, but to seek the kingdom of God first so that all the things you worry about can be added to you. A little faith acts like Windex on a cloudy window to clear your mind of those little worries so you can concentrate.

Let go of the lists! Let go of the worries! Let God take over your mind, your thoughts, and your life. Once you entrust everything to God (err…once WE do) all will be fine! After all, who better to trust with each minute of the future that the Father who gives those minutes to us! Climb the staircase – step by step – and we’ll get out of the pit of worries we’ve dug for ourselves.