Life is filled with distractions and worry-instigators. They’re everywhere. From finances, to the future leaders of our country, to our kids’ decisions, or daily hear struggles, it’s easy to become overwhelmed, confused, or depressed by the constant bombardment of negative news and continual struggles. What does God tell us to do during these times? How does he call our hearts from the dizzying and exhausting carousel of anxiety that tempts us away from resting and trusting in Him?
Believe me, during the past year I’ve struggled with worry like I’ve never done before. A family move, financial difficulties, and job heartaches churned my heart into the spin cycle on a daily basis. Thankfully, God doesn’t leave me or you in our worry-tornados.
So what does God tell us to do?
I’m going to paraphrase Matthew 6:25 to get my point across:
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Do not worry about purple potatoes or sci-fi attire. Is not life more than your coveted appointment, and the body more than the perfect pitch? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God takes care of the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more dream BIG for you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘what shall I eat’ or ‘what shall I wear. For the pagans become worried about all these things, and your heavenly Father knows what you need.
How do we battle against the chaos of worry?
We focus on the ONE thing…..
The One thing that fuels our stories.
The One thing that drives our passions.
The One thing that shines the light of truth on all of these ‘many things’ and puts them into proper perspective.
The One thing that brings rest to hearts stuck in the spin-cycle of comparisons, worry, distractions, and disappointments.
The one thing? Jesus.
How do we do this? Set our minds on Him and…worship! We life our worry-torn hearts in thanksgiving.
As Christians we’re at an advantage, you know.
The rat-race of the publishing world, financial struggles, and power struggles don’t have to control us.
We’re not slaves to them.
Do they exist? Sure – but those desires are not our masters.
They are simply one of the ‘many things’.
True success and rest comes when we keep our hearts focused on the One thing and revel in His remarkable love.
The Giveaway
Pepper has also offered a book giveaway to celebrate the release of her latest book, A Twist of Faith. The giveaway is open internationally to anyone that can receive an e-format of the book, A Twist of Faith. Enter through the Rafflecopter below:
The giveaway will run until April 20, 2016 and the winner will be announced on April 21.
Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance peppered with grace and humor. She’s a native of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a mom of five, a speech-language pathologist, and a lover of chocolate. She enjoys sprinkling her native Appalachian culture into her fiction whenever she can and loves annoying her wonderful friends at her writing blog, The Writer’s Alley. She is represented by Julie Gwinn and her debut novel, The Thorn Bearer, released in May 2015 and the second novel The Thorn Keeper in February 2016. Her first contemporary romance novel, A Twist of Faith, releases in April 2016 and has already garnered a 4 star review from Romantic Times. You can connect with Pepper on her website at www.pepperdbasham.com, Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pepper-D-Basham or Twitter at https://twitter.com/pepperbasham and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pepperbasham/.