The Worried Christian?

I want to start this blog off a little differently that the others, with a prayer.

Dear Lord, I come to you praising and blessing Your Name. You are the One who created everything in this world and beyond and you still took time out to create me as the unique being that I am. I thank you for life more abundantly, for the people that you have blessed me with, and for everything that you have done for me. I ask that you use me as the vessel that I was created for, that I let go of me and catch a strong hold to You, and for forgiveness of my sins, known and unknown. May the words of this blog be pleasing to You and bless all that are able to read it. I thank You in advance for the blessing that You have placed in our lives. You are awesome and able to do exceedingly, abundantly and above all that we could ask for. I love You Lord. In Jesus name I pray. ~Amen

For me and many of my friends, we are close to the end of this semester, and this semester has been...well, it's been all over the place. Getting prepared for the future can be a lot, and I mean it really is a lot. One of the most quoted passages in the Bible about worrying is found in Philippians.
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Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV) "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

A "worried Christian" should be an oxymoron. These words contradict the very being of the other. A question was posed in Matthew 6:27, "Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to you life?" There is a simple answer to that question: no! If anything, worrying takes away time that you could be productive in what you are worrying about. Think about how much time you spent worrying about a test that you thought you couldn't pass...if you took that time to study instead, then worrying would be pointless.

Worrying isn't healthy to you either. Proverbs 12:25 states, "Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up." This anxiety and worry that you are holding on to is weighing your heart down. With a heavy heart you become depressed, miserable and alone. Not only is worrying something God told us to not do, but it affects us physically. This distress can lead to physical symptoms including headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain, and problems sleeping. These effects are very real and not good for your body. You can't praise the Lord with your whole self when there is something wrong with your body.

If God is able to cause nature like the flowers, trees and even the grass to grow, what makes us any different that He will not take care of us? Matthew 6:28-30 explains that God has caused the grass to grow. Grass does nothing to grow but be grass. We can't worry about the things in our lives when nature is growing all around us.

There was a lot to say about worry in the 6th chapter of Matthew. It continues to say in verses 31-34 (with an emphasis on 34), "So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." So why worry? We shouldn't. I had to find a place to state my favorite Bible verse, Philippians 4:13, "I can do ALL things through Christ which strengthens me." God did not give us the spirit of fear, nor worry, nor anxiety.

So there it is in a nutshell. Worrying is pointless and takes up time that we could use more productively. I may not have the answer to how you can get rid of your worries, but I can say that it is IMPOSSIBLE to pray and worry. If you are praying and worried you're not only wasting your time, but you're wasting God's time. He can't help you if you are not willing to be helped in the first place.

I will end with this Bible verse, and I will be on my way: 1 Peter 5:7 (KJV) "Casting all your care upon Him; for He cares for you."