The Jesus Sessions: Worry

We live in a world of worry.

So what do we do? Naturally we try to control. The more we try to control, the more we realize things are out of our control, and the more we worry. It's a vicious cycle. Worry leads to control, control leads to worry, and worry negatively impacts our lives and our spiritual condition.

Because of this, we have a desire to compartmentalize our lives so that things are neat and orderly and we have control over them so that we don't have to worry about them. The unhealthy aspect of this is that our spiritual lives get compartmentalized as just another aspect of our lives.

In his book, The Life You've Always Wanted, pastor and author John Ortberg says, "God is not interested in your 'spiritual life.' God is just interested in your life." Our desire to control leads us to compartmentalize our lives, which leads us to try to compartmentalize our spiritual lives. But our spiritual lives cannot be compartmentalized. Every aspect of your life is your spiritual life. We are spiritual beings, but we are limited beings. God is the only one wise enough and powerful enough to be in control. He is also the only one loving enough to trust to have absolute control. This is where things get tough for us.

Worry leads to control, control leads to an attempt to take life into our own hands so that we won't have to worry. But we aren't able to be in control of all things, so we end up worrying even more, or being disappointed in ourselves or others when things that we thought we had under control don't work out.

It is not necessarily easy, but we have to learn how to let God be the one in control, trust him to be at work in our lives, and to provide us with what we need when we need it.

Jesus said, "...your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. See the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today." (Matthew 6:32-34 NLT)

A line in a famous church hymn goes like this:

Yes, 'tis sweet to trust in Jesus, just from sin and self to cease;

Just from Jesus simply taking, life and rest and joy and peace.

I pray that as we grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, we would allow him to have control, and find our life and rest and joy and peace in him alone.

Many blessings,

In Him,

-Tim