“I’m worried I’m next,” a friend texted me last night.
Like many, he’s worried he’ll lose his job in the next round of his company’s cuts.
He might lose his job, or he might not. He’s simply not sure. And THAT is the problem.
Uncertainty is like an empty room. You can open the door and fill it with heart-palpitating anxiety. Or you can let Jesus fill that room with His peace. It’s our choice.
Jesus has a solution for eliminating worry: Focus on the things you can control, then let God control the things you can’t.
“Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Jesus said.
The answer, of course, is no.
“Then why do you worry?” he counters (Mt 6:27-28).
The solution?
“Seek first His kingdom,” (Mt 6:33) Jesus taught. This is Jesus’ way of saying, “Give God’s complete rule over your mind.” (FYI - whenever you read “kingdom” in the Bible think “kingship” or “God’s total rule”).
We can’t control the economy or people, or the future, by replaying over and over in our minds all the bad things that “could” happen.
The only thing we can control is our training: every time you feel anxious view it as an opportunity to practice giving God total control over your mind. Approach training your mind with the discipline of a Navy Seal and the calmness of a monk.
How?
The next time you feel anxious, pray this simple prayer:
“God, this anxiety I’m feeling is the by-product of forgetting that I’m not in control of this situation. You are. Because I know that you work all things for my good, I’m relinquishing my need to control what happens. You got this. Amen.”
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