Dark Thoughts

        I  could mess up as a parent, I could have an auto accident, I could get a disease, I could lose my job, I could, I could…die!

Thoughts are funny things, they can either lead us to emotions of joy, fear and anxiety. I speak with a lot of people that are under the belief that mentally preparing for something bad to happen will take the sting out of it, should it actually occur.  They end up going down those negative rabbit holes and feel bad about a situation that has not yet happened. Now, I understand the logic, they are trying to protect themselves from very painful possible events, but the logic quickly falls apart when real events surface. Why? Because they have depleted their resources. Let me explain.

When you are in a constant state of worry about events that have not happened your mind and body will respond to the pretend situation with typical bodily reactions. The encyclopedia puts it this way-

“Homeostasis refers to the ability of the body to maintain a stable internal environment despite changes in external conditions. The stability, or balance, that is attained is called a dynamic equilibrium; that is, as changes occur, the body works to maintain relatively uniform conditions.”

The keywords here are “changes in external conditions.” But the reality is there hasn’t been a change in your external condition, you’ve imagined it! You are making your body work harder to balance this condition that doesn’t even exist. So the anxious person is using up coping resources that are needed for real events. Unfortunately, when the real event comes, the body is worn out from constantly trying to reach dynamic equilibrium, and is taxed. With the constant introduction of imagined tragedies the body has not been at rest or homeostasis for quite some time. So whether it happened or not, it does not matter. The person has been through it emotionally and physically, and is worn out as a result.

Besides tiring out our body, which can later lead to sickness and disease via a compromised immune system, I believe this process destroys our joy. Most people have thoughts about the future and the things that could happen or go wrong in our lives, but that is where a loving, all powerful God commands us to give Him our anxiety. We are commanded to cast our cares upon Him, and stay focused on the present, where joy currently resides. And since we know that God is the giver of all good gifts, we can rest assure that his strength will get us through the trials.

So enjoy your days anxiety free, joy and rest are here in your present, don’t miss it.

Matthew 6:26-27    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?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?