Are You Anxious?

How many of you have ever had a pet? I'm sure many of you have. You care for your pet and love them. You give them everything they need. Sometimes they are even spoiled. I can tell you that my dog Jak Jak is loved and probably spoiled. However, there is something that Jak Jak has that concerns me.

See, we got Jak Jak when he was 3 months old. He was the first ever puppy, not dog, in my family's household. Thus, Jak needed more attention and care. He was like a baby. He couldn't do certain things like jump on chairs that were high up. He wasn't potty trained. And he obviously couldn't get food for himself (I enjoy pretending to talk like him and I say "I don't have opposable thumbs)." So, my family and I did all these things for him. Unfortunately, Jak Jak developed such an attachment to us that when he wasn't with someone he would whine. This whining and not having someone around developed into anxiety.

Here's the thing I couldn't understand. We love Jak Jak. We give him everything he needs, plus some things he doesn't. Why did my little boy have anxiety? I didn't know and I still don't. But this situation got me thinking: why are we anxious?

We are God's children. God is a loving God. He cares for us. He gives us everything we need and some things we don't need. Yet, we still are anxious about different things. Now, you may be saying "it's different. We have many more problems than pets do. We have to provide for our families. We have to deal with annoying people at work. We have to care for the children and our parents." Yes, we do have to do all that (though I would like us to get to the point where we say we "get to" do all those things but that's a blog for another time). But, we are not required to worry about all of that. In fact, we are told not to worry about those things.

Philippians 4:6-7 says: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Okay, the Bible says we are not to be anxious. Why? We are not to be anxious because we are to bring our concerns to God. What happens when we do that? If we let God handle our concerns, then we get peace. We don't get the peace where we have a spa day, a vacation day, or quiet. We get peace in our hearts to know that even in all the crazy of life, everything will be okay. Everything will be okay, why? It will be okay because God's got this. He has a plan. He cares for you. He loves us enough to be a part of our lives. He has a relationship with us, if we choose to have one with him. We just need to trust in him, instead of worrying.

So, are you worrying too much? What can you do when worries and anxieties come up? How can you do a better job of trusting God today?

Image from here.