I once heard a story about a woman who had just gotten off work and was driving home. As she drove, she rested her right arm over the back of her head, with her hand hanging down beside her left ear. After a while, she completely forgot her hand was there.
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a set of fingers.
Her heart began racing. “Someone is in my backseat!”
The more she looked, the more frightened she became. She hurried all the way home, pulled into the driveway, jumped out of the car, and looked into the backseat.
No one was there. The “intruder” she had feared the entire drive home was her own hand.
How often do we do the same thing spiritually? We create fears that never existed. We replay “what if” scenarios until they seem real. We exhaust ourselves over problems that have not happened and may never happen.
God never intended for us to carry that kind of burden. As a matter of fact we read in 1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
While not every fear is imaginary. Some trials are very real and even in those we can trust God to keep us. But many of the burdens we carry are ones our own minds have created. Before you let worry steal your peace, stop and ask yourself, “Am I fearing something that is actually there, or am I worrying over my own hand?”
Instead of feeding our fears, we should give them to the One who can actually do something about them.
Philippians 4:6 NLT
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
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