A Worry-Free Lifestyle Is Waiting For You

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Colossians 3:15

Did the words of that title catch your attention? They caught mine when I read them not long ago in an ad for an assisted living facility. The idea is that if you go to live there, you won’t have to worry about cooking, maintenance, lawn care— they will take care of everything! That seems like pretty good marketing to me. We all have worries, and we all would love to be rid of them.

If you look up the word “worry” in the Bible, you’ll mainly see concern for two things:

1. the basic needs of life

Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Matthew 6:25

2. dealing with opposition to the gospel

Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. Luke 12:11-12

In both cases it says NOT to worry. This almost seems a bit unfair or unrealistic. Both of those are legitimate concerns! It’s only natural for us to think about them.

And besides worrying about having enough to eat or whether we’ll be persecuted, we also worry about:
work
money
school
health
relationships
decisions
temptations
past sins and mistakes

and the list could go on.

Is it wrong to worry about these things?

One important point the Bible makes is that worry changes nothing.

Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? Matthew 6:27

This indicates that worry is not quite the same as thinking about a problem and what you CAN do about it. Sometimes we do need to dwell on a problem mentally, praying about it and meditating on the options available to us and on what would constitute a godly response to the situation. In fact, real worry usually only sets in when we conclude that we can NOT do anything to fix or change the situation.

Maybe the reason we are told not to worry is that our God CAN always do something about it, whatever it is. When I have no control, He still does. This is what people mean when they say give it to God. If there’s something I can do, like get a job to buy my necessities, or ask for forgiveness so a relationship can be repaired, I’m usually responsible for that. But if it’s a problem that I cannot fix, and there are many of those in life, I’m going to have to leave it totally in His hands.

Feelings of worry may enter our hearts unbidden, but how do we react to them? Do we ruminate or do we reason? Do we display a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7) or do we pray? Do we remind ourselves that God will take care of us? It wasn’t sin when Jesus felt overwhelming emotions in the Garden of Gethsemane, but he responded by crying out to the Father in earnest prayer.

God is all-powerful, and that power is available to us through faith. When we cry out to the Father, do we believe He hears, cares, and has power to help? If we really believe it, then we can ask Him to relieve our anxious minds and bless us with supernatural peace. Worry is not always sin, but it is always something to fight.

A worry-free lifestyle IS possible!

At least the ad for the assisted living facility didn’t promise a worry-free LIFE. No matter where you live; no matter how much faith you have; no matter how much you worry or don’t worry, in this life there will always be health concerns, family issues, financial considerations, emotional ups and downs, spiritual questions, etc.

But there is a day coming when life will be worry free. In heaven, everything will be taken care of! A worry-free life is waiting for you.

by Christie Cole Atkins

Dear Heavenly Father, we know that You have not promised to take away all burdens in this life but rather in the next. Help us to turn to You and to trust You through all of the worrisome things we face on our journey here. We look forward to our eternal home of peace with You and Your Son and the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Related Reading:

Be Not Afraid