Not An Option
When I said, "My foot is slipping, your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy." Psalm 94:18-19
INSIGHT
Go with me for a minute to middle school summer camp. As your heart races, you walk to the edge of the diving board. Feeling 100 feet in the air, you're short of breath and unsure. What if you pass out and fall off the board? Your feet are slipping. You turn around, thinking you cannot possibly do this; you'd rather face embarrassment. A long line of campers wait their turn and block your way down. Going forward was scary, but going back is no longer an option. You have to jump.
Panic. Fear. Uncertainty. Insecurity. Anyone else struggling to move forward amid the uncertainty of this year? And what does forward even look like? Going back is not an option, but going forward is scary. Our hearts are racing. We are short of breath. We feel like we are slipping. We don't know what comes after the next step.
Today's scripture reminds us that when we call to Him, when we feel like we are slipping and our thoughts are overwhelming, He loves us. He supports us, He comforts us. All that brings us joy. So, how do we get our fear and anxiety to quiet long enough to move forward? Scripture gives us ways of stewarding our minds and hearts through every situation.
You may have heard or read that "Fear not" is written in scripture 365 times. If the Bible tells us frequently not to be afraid, God knows that fear is a problem for us. Our brains notice negative things to protect us from danger. The problem arises when our focus remains on these perceived threats, and we fail to use the tools God gives us through His Word and Spirit to steward our thoughts well.
We find instructions like these in scripture: "take every thought captive," "think on these things," and "be anxious for nothing, but with prayer and thanksgiving make your requests known to God." God knows our susceptibility to negative first thoughts, and we need guidance to get through it.
2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us that we can take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. We can grab a thought and compare it to what we know to be true. We have a choice on how we respond to each thought. Philippians 4:8 tells us that whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy, we should think about them. Right before that insight is Philippians 4:6. We're urged not to be anxious about anything, but in every situation, to pray with gratitude and ask God for what we need.
We can grab hold of that first negative thought and use scripture to tell ourselves what is true and good. We can take that anxious thought and silence it with thoughts of gratitude. When we do this, there is a weight lifted. If we continue to practice shifting our negative thoughts to praise and thanksgiving, we renew and transform our minds over time.
When we choose our thoughts and make them obedient to the truth, we turn toward Jesus for comfort, support, and love. In those places, despite our circumstances, He is with us, and so is joy. Wouldn't that be something to truly experience in the midst of what we collectively endured this year? God promises that His comfort brings a joy that's not manufactured or merely about putting on a happy face. We receive a gift from the Spirit when we put our trust in Him despite our circumstances.
So, here we are. Going back is not an option. Going forward is scary. But we trust that even if we feel like we are slipping, His faithful love supports us. When anxious thoughts overwhelm us, we cling to His comfort.
We jump. It's not pretty, arms flailing, awkward splash. But we come out of that water with a big, goofy, middle school, brace-faced smile. Because here is joy waiting for us on the other side.
REFLECTION
What thoughts are overwhelming you or causing you anxiety at this moment? What truth, praise, or grateful thought can you substitute into your internal dialogue?
As you move throughout your day, notice your initial thought when something negative happens. What do you feel? Ask God to help you practice taking those thoughts captive.
PRAYER
Jesus, we are thankful that Your Word supplies tools to help us work through our everyday lives. Thank you for the comfort and joy Your presence brings to every situation. We ask that as we move through today and this season, when something causes fear or anxiety, that we would take our thoughts captive and turn them toward You, exchanging our anxiety for Your joy. In Your name, Jesus. Amen.
Ashley Sarvis, WSP Programming and Initiative Lead, wrote today's devotional.
