I wish I could remember where I read this quote, but that knowledge is long gone. But though the source has not, the idea has stuck with me.

Our world contains a lot of pressure to be stressed. That seems backwards, doesn’t it? There’s so much talk about taking care of yourself and ways to cope with anxiety. But I think there’s also an implicit message that if you’re not upset about every bad thing going on and constantly worried about all the worst outcomes, you’re probably stupid, or you don’t care about anyone else. Maybe both!

But that’s not what God says.

God says, over and over and over and over and over and over and over (and over), “Be anxious for nothing.” We can take this as an order we should never break, becoming extra anxious with guilt every time we get anxious, but I think there’s plenty of evidence in the Bible that grief and stress are reasonable in our broken world, and God wants to comfort and encourage when they get to us, not chalk it up to, “Well, that’s one more sin I’m forgiving.”

But he doesn’t ask you to feel that way.

It doesn’t always help. But sometimes remembering to look at things this way is exactly what I need to feel better.

Doesn’t it sound too good to be true? It’s not! You are allowed to go about your day calm and content while everyone around you worries about everything. You really, really are.

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