The "busy" season of my summer has just begun. My plane touched down in Atlanta a few hours ago and as usual, my head can't stop ruminating about the laundry list of things to come. The emotional concoction is a mix of mainly anticipation and anxiety. I'm excited about what the next few weeks will hold. Today I'm in Atlanta for strategic partner meetings at North Point Church and the following two weeks I will be in Michigan for Surf City. My excitement for the next few weeks is totally justifiable considering i'll be at North Point connecting with some of the most incredible church family you would ever want to be in a room with and i'll be heading to a camp that has arguably had the most significant impact on the youth of Pittsburgh for the last 25 years. I've got plenty to be excited about. I am extremely privileged to be a part of what God is doing in Pittsburgh.
Unfortunately as I said before my recipe of emotions doesn't just have a healthy dose of excitement... it also has more than one helping of anxiety. I have really been feeling the itch lately. It's like a bug bite that doesn't go away and you know that scratching it will never help but you do it anyway. Worrying about things in the future never makes the future better... but I do it anyway. Anxiety is something that permeates everything I do and I can't help but be embarrassed by the stranglehold it has on me. I'm sure that I am not alone. This is a snag that I believe many of us get caught in everyday. Anxiety is not healthy and is a bigger problem than many of us like to admit. But we have to face a truth... anxiety is wrong and it's a sin. Trust me, i've tried looking at it at every angle, but I can't find cause for "healthy anxiety." It clearly says in Phil. 4, "Do not be anxious about anything." You really can't get much clearer than that.
I recently read some great stuff on the obstacles of anxiety and worry. Unfortunately, what I read made me realize how toxic worrying truly is. In his book Crazy Love, Francis Chan wrote, "Worry implies that we don't quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what's happening in our lives." Those words struck me deep. I immediately realized an arrogance that was hidden behind my eyes. Did I truly believe that my God was that small? Has my Savior turned his back and ignored my suffering and concerns? How could I let such a senseless belief dominate my time and my being? It doesn't make sense!
God is bigger than your concerns and He knows your heart. You can't second guess God's plan for your life... because when you let anxiety influence your day-to-day life you are just wasting your time. You are telling God that you don't believe He cares. So, what drives your thoughts on your way to work in the morning? What demands your attention in the late hours of the night when you are trying to fall asleep? The Creator of this world is in control and our lives are designed to point to Him. How much of your time is consumed by worry? Let's try to use that time for something worth while!
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