The past few weeks led up to a very special moment yesterday, as my wife and I saw our baby for the first time through an ultrasound. There are a lot of questions that are answered with the ultrasound: 1. Are the internal organs developing on schedule (the brain, the heart, the kidneys, etc)? 2. How is the baby growing? Is it growing too fast? Too slow? 3. What is the gender of the child? (if you want to know … and we wanted to know) My family has long had a history of demonstrating that they care by worrying. For years I’ve seen my father invest a lot of energy in worrying for me, my mother, and my sister. I caught myself doing that earlier in my relationship with my wife, and with her help and assistance I have been able to reshape how I express love to her. It would have been easy to be anxious as we progressed towards this day, especially with so many vital questions unanswered. There were times that I found myself worrying. I resolved to trust Jesus, even when it wasn’t comfortable. Trust is a powerful expression of love. Trust is confident. It isn’t anxious. It doesn’t care or worry. We are supposed to live life trusting Jesus. That trust is wrapped up in a loving friendship. Knowing and experiencing the love of Christ provides the evidence that we can truly trust Him. Look at these words penned by the Apostle Paul in a Roman prison:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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. (Philippians 4:6-7)
The Greek word that is translated “anxious” here literally means “to care” or “to be troubled“. Seriously God? I’m not supposed to be troubled, worried, or care about ANYTHING? The Apostle Paul gets something we often miss in these few words: Anxiety is the result of assuming ownership over something you don’t own. (you might want to write that down) The Apostle Paul grasped that life was meant to be lived completely surrendered to God. When you give God the authority to lead your life, God takes responsibility for it. When you are submitting to God, you don’t have to be troubled, concerned, or anxious about anything. All you need to do is simply trust. A few questions to consider: 1. What are you anxious about? Most likely you’ve taken ownership over something you do not own. Reflect on what exactly it is you’ve taken ownership and relinquish control to God. 2. What are you trusting? If you’re anxious about something, you’re trusting the wrong thing. Be honest about what you’re trusting. Realign your trust and place it in Jesus.
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