Do not be anxious...

This semester has been my hardest semester of college yet and it's only going to get more difficult. Whether it's a 10 page research project, final exams or searching for an internship, there is always going to be something to direct my attention away from the sovereignty of God. Forgetting that God is omnipotent and sovereign over my life causes me to be anxious. I start worrying about graduating on time and then what I am going to do after I graduate, what job I'm going to get, how much money I'll make, and so on and so forth. These thoughts produce anxiety and stress that only make it more difficult to deal with these issues. If I had no choice but to worry my daily life would be strenuous and without joy. Thankfully, there is another option. God doesn't want us to worry about our lives at all. He knows that anxiety can greedily steal away our strength and joy. He tells us in Philippians 4:6-7,

"Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

What an incredible promise! God wants us to come to Him with our worries and anxieties and He promises us that when we do he will grant us peace and not just any peace but His peace, the peace that surpasses all understanding.

I remember one day this past semester when I was working on a 10 page draft of a research project for one of my English classes. I had about four pages to go and I needed to send off a completed draft to two of my peers that night so they could review it for me. I had classes during the day and right after class I had worship practice so I knew I wouldn't be getting a considerable amount of work done on it until later in the evening. Now, usually I would be freaking out about getting it done on time but I wasn't. I was actually experiencing what it was like to place all your care on Jesus (I Peter 5:7) and to rest in His perfect peace. It was blissful.

It also made me wonder why I don't rest in Him all the time. If it feels so good to rest with Jesus why do I make every effort to exclude Him from my life? Why do I continue to believe that I can handle everything on my own, when deep down I know that I can't handle anything without my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ?

1 Peter 5:7 says to "cast all your anxieties on Christ because he cares for you." Jesus doesn't want us to carry a heavy burden. He wants us to be free. Bring your cares to Christ, leave your anxiety at the cross. Then walk. Walk and do not faint. Then run. Run and do not grow weary.