it's Nita.

(Audio and Text)

When I asked God this question I quickly got this answer.

The cares of life, worry, doubt and unbelief.

The latter three words (worry, doubt, and unbelief) I knew well enough. I’ve had to remind myself on many occasions that being anxious won’t fix things and that if God promises he will fulfill. However, the first phrase puzzled me. I knew it was related to a scripture so I started to google.

The cares of life are things like acquiring possessions, gaining riches or the deceitfulness of riches, enjoying pleasures, having a productive career, a successful family, healthy relationships (martial, work, faith, community, business, friendships or otherwise), working out or even eating and drinking. They are even as mundane as household chores, running errands and checking the mail. Our days are filled to the brim with duties and tasks.

Upon understanding the definition of “cares of life” I was perplexed as to why I shouldn’t be concerned about these things. After all they had to be done. If I didn’t do them who else would?

Back to my google search I came across a few articles on the subject. In the first, the author explained that there is nothing wrong with wanting to be successful in these areas. Yet, “if we put our preoccupation with acquiring and possessing these riches and pleasures, they will choke out the fruit in our lives.”

Well, now that got my attention. Could it be all the work I was doing to live well was actually killing me spiritually?

Answer: Yes.

Take a moment to read part of the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:7 and 13:22. When I pondered the meaning of this to my life, I began to see the problem. The worries of life were becoming my preoccupation. Instead of mediating on the word day and night and keeping my focus fixed on Jesus, I was buried in work, household duties, and other aspects of my personal and social life.

Ok, back to my google search, I wanted to read more. I was still a bit resistant to the idea the caring about my cares was a bad thing. I came across another link and the author said this of the cares of life. “We have to put life into its proper perspective and not allow the troublesome things, issues and people in life to get in the way of our eternal destiny and calling.”

Hmm… yeah this was starting to sound more serious. It wasn’t that trying to be a responsible adult was a bad thing but there was more to being prosperous in life. Ok, I got the problem now. Thus, in my googling and talking to God I moved to seeking a solution. How can I not be burdened by the cares of life?

I came across another article that gave 5 tips and I added a sixth because I felt it fit well.

1. Take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5). Errant thoughts and worries can easily get us off track.
2. Meditate on the Word of God. The Word of God is Truth so meditating on the Word renews our mind.
3. Humble yourself before the Lord and cast your cares on him for he cares for you (1 Peter 5:6-7). The author emphasized the humility part of this scripture. It is easy just to skip to the casting your cares part but it takes an action step on our parts.
4. Stay protected in the whole armor of God. (Ephesians 6:11-18). I won’t list all the pieces here but I will highlight that part of the armor of God is prayer.
5. Have a faith-based accountability partner. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). Having at least 1 person that can lovingly hold you accountable can go a long way to not falling off the spiritual wagon. Sidenote: Check on your friends. ❤️
6. Be anxious for nothing, but instead pray about everything (Philippians 4:6-7). I imagine a major reason the cares of life get so overwhelming is because we don’t always seek God on how to handle these matters. And don’t forget that God cares about even the little things. On a few occasions, I’ve even prayed for a good parking space at the grocery store and it worked!

Alright, so just in case all this hasn’t hit home for you yet, let me give you a few definitions related to the cares of life.

• preoccupation: a state of having one’s attention or interest absorbed by someone or something

• distraction: a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else

• entangled: being twisted or caught up in or involved in difficulties or circumstances that are hard to escape

In close, I gave these three definitions because they clearly spell out the issue. If I am totally absorbed in my life and finances and various other things and people, I can’t possibly have my mind on Christ. In which case I am constantly looking for solutions to my own problems which causes me to worry, doubt and slip into unbelief.

And so, I came full circle with the answer to my first question. Feeling a bit deflated, I am glad God directed me to one more passage scripture. Matthew 6:25-34. Simply titled, Do Not Worry.

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 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? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

That’s God’s peace and promise my friends. 😌

.

.

.

Don’t let the cares of life clutter your mind.

His peace always,

it’s Nita.