Worry Part 2

I had to tell you about something that happened. I would say that it is surprising but with God I’ve learned to expect the unexpected. And when one of those surprising coincidences happens I’ve learned to really look at what I’m being told through it because God must really want me to get the message.

So what happened? Well Sunday the pastor of my church was speaking on Acts 19:30-41 “Surviving in the Eye of the Storm.” Already you can see a nearness of this sermon to my current life situation, but it didn’t stop there. He continued on and even talked of worrying. He even used the very verses in Matthew 6 that I had been thinking about Friday. Yep I knew that God wanted me to think more about this topic.

Pastor called worry what it is – a sin. I sometimes try to delicately handle the subject. I know it isn’t good for me, but I hate thinking about it as a sin. But that is what it is. This led me to realize that I should approach worry the same way I do any other sin. I should seek to actively war against it. I should pray for help with it when I’m struggling with it. And I should avoid behavior that increases my worry.

You see I know one big thing that causes my worry to increase sometimes. I love to research. I love to learn about new things and try and figure out an explanation to questions that I encounter. But there is a fine line to this when it involves cancer. I know that I have found out a lot of helpful information about cancer and its treatment by my research. Understanding a scary topic helps me to feel more a part of the process. But sometimes my research goes a little out of control. And if I’m honest I know when it is happening. It can start innocently enough sometimes - stumbling on a research paper that uses dire sounding words. It is at this point when I sometimes start to keep researching past the point when it is helpful. I know all it does is cause me to worry. This is what I need to work on.

All this reminded me of Peter walking on the water to Jesus. You remember -Matthew 14? Peter starts out successfully walking on the water. His focus is on Jesus. He is succeeding. And then he looks down. And he sees the water, the wind and the waves. And fear and doubt assail him. What has changed? Jesus is still there. Jesus is still capable of getting him through the situation. The waves were even there to start. What changed was Peter’s focus. He lost focus on Jesus for just one moment and in that moment he started to sink. Down. Down.

It just takes a moment. That is all it takes. One moment of deciding to go down the rabbit trail of “What if.” One moment of focusing more on physical conditions that seem hopeless.  So what do I need to do if I feel myself sinking? Well of course I need to look back up at Jesus. I need to focus on God and His promises for me. It seems so easy to figure out right now. 

I also liked one other thing Pastor said yesterday. He said that if you are a Christian then you already have all you need to survive the storm that you are in. God has already given you all the faith, Biblical understanding, strength, and resources you need to get through it. You don’t need anything more than God and the tools that He has given you. I need to remember that in times of doubt.

And one last thought on the subject that I found yesterday. It is from the book I ‘m continuing to read by Max Lucado called you’ll get through this. The chapter I read yesterday was about waiting on the Lord. In it he says, “To wait, biblically speaking, is not to assume the worst, worry, fret, make demands, or take control. Nor is waiting inactivity. Waiting is a sustained effort to stay focused on God through prayer and belief.”

So that is part two to my thoughts on worry and focus. Isn’t our God awesome!