By Jessica Sykes

Matthew 6:25-34 

My thumb swipes up the phone screen again and again as information overloads my brain with should and shouldn't, trending outfits, bible verses with pretty backgrounds, and another perimenopausal fitness routine.

Oh, look, there’s a cute puppy! (Aww)

Another kitchen as big as my own house. (coveting)

Bread. More bread. (So much bread)

An empty nester in their empty van. (Ugly cries)

High protein recipes. (Seriously…how much protein?)

Gardens and chickens and plants…oh my. (I should live off-grid)

This church is wrong. That pastor is a heretic. (Lord, let unity be our heart’s cry)

So many voices are vying for our attention, and we can easily become influenced by the influencers. The subtle shift where the pace of our minds begins to match the masses and our figurative, shaking fists of discontent become louder than the still, small voice of our Savior. He, who brings order to chaos and clarity when the world wants to convince us of their standards. We start to worry about who or what is right.

Anxiousness and worry have been constant companions for as long as I can remember. They are often part of my daily life, and I honestly never associated them with disobedience in my Christian walk. To me, they were this rite of passage to adulthood. Worrying about life came with the territory until it became something I wouldn’t restrain.

I began to “borrow trouble”, becoming consumed with life’s “what if’s” and trying to race ahead of scenarios to find solutions. I had to outrun the problems before they outran me. I couldn’t see the difference between planning and fretting or raising my hands instead of wringing them. An idol of control began to allow worry to consume my mind.

In Matthew 6:25-30, Jesus tells us not to worry about what we eat, drink or what we wear while comparing how he provides for the birds who don’t have to sow, reap, or store up their food. He mentions the flowers that clothe the fields with beauty and splendor. If He provides for them, how much more will He provide for our needs? The problem is when we play tug of war with God’s holy supply by stubbornly wanting to decide what we need, how we need it, how fast we need it, and in what way we need it. 

Ouch.

Yet there is a command with a promise that will shift our focus from anxiety to trust. “But seek FIRST his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33. Put simply, seek God’s will, character and kingship. The result? Having your spiritual needs fed will also lead to your physical needs being met.

You DINE on Truth. Job 23:12

You DRINK the cup of the Lord. John 4:14

You are CLOTHED in righteousness. Isaiah 61:10

Every voice in this world is trying to command your attention to things that matter less than Jesus. Maybe even your own. When you yield to God’s voice, you will begin to trust His way and actually relax in the unknown. This mind shift squelches anxiety. Your circumstances stop being what you trust, and instead your trust will be anchored within the God who establishes your circumstances.