Instead of worrying…

When worry takes center stage in your life, soon the dark cloud of anxiety begins to seep into even your most precious moments. Worry doesn’t bully its way to the spotlight, it lurks and whispers itself into it. It haunts and hovers. It steals your joy and taints the bright colors of your life.  Worry starts small and slowly begins to fill the stage of your life until worry is all there is.

Make no mistake, worry is a thief.  It steals your perspective, distracts you from your purpose and will kidnap your peace.

Paul, the Apostle, had a long list of reasons to worry.  He spent most of his time going to jail or being in jail for telling people about Jesus. He was challenging how people thought about themselves and how they thought about God.  In Acts 13, when he talked to the Jewish leaders in the community about who Jesus was, they were interested and asked questions. But then when he invited Gentiles into the conversation and almost the whole city came out to hear about it, the Jewish leaders grew angry and reviled him. They were interested if Jesus was the Jewish Messiah for the Jewish people but not if He was the Messiah for all.   They rejected Jesus and persecuted Paul.  Meanwhile, he planted churches and wrote letters to help these new communities of Jesus followers figure out how to be Jesus followers (which is where we get half the New Testament).

In his letter to the new church in Philippi, he writes:

 “Don’t fret or worry.  Instead of worrying, pray.

Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.

Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. 

It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”

Philippians 4:6, 7 MSG

In the midst of the persecution, Paul has the audacity to tell them to not worry about it. Instead of worrying, pray.

This is a different way to live. And that is the point. He didn’t just bring the hope of eternal life after you die, Jesus brought the hope of living loved beginning right now, no matter what your circumstances are. Instead of worrying, pray. Connect with your Father in Heaven. He hears, He cares.

This is not a post about denying that you have valid things to worry about.  You do and so do I. Life is complicated, people are complicated and my friend, you are complicated.

This post is about learning to use those worries as incense to burn before the altar of God. Instead of worrying, pray.

When prayer takes center stage in your life, it begins as a small bright light that slowly begins to fill every space available. Prayer beats back the lurkers and thieves. Prayer expands as your spirit is filled with offerings of thanksgiving, praise, petitions, and requests to God. It allows unconditional love of the God who is LOVE weave itself into an expression of trust as the sweet awareness of His presence permeates your consciousness.

Beloved, What has the center stage in your life today?

Is it worry?

What are you worrying about?

Instead of worrying, pray.

Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. 

You are loved and have permission to live like it.

-Cindy Grasso