Instead of panic when fear and worry intrude into our lives, we should pray. That may sound simplistic, but why should it? After all, God’s truth and promises haven’t changed just because a war threat is mounting on one of life’s borders. The issue isn’t whether or not the storms will chase us—they will—but whether or not we stay on God’s road or get off. Fear and worry will trouble us, but those thoughts can leave as quickly as they came, once we are settled in God’s truths.
The psalmist asks, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 42:11).
How many Christians are able to relax in the middle of life’s vicious slipstream and laugh at life’s threats unfolding every day? Everyone is so serious, and I used to be the king of that game. Joyous and balanced Christians have learned to take life less seriously. God clearly wants us to “lighten up” and find his balance and peace. He wants us to live life without worry: “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life” (1 Thess. 4:11).
It is a daunting challenge to live a quiet and balanced life in a world of chaos. We have made ourselves so busy that we miss the quiet patter of life. We miss the sun rising in the morning and its descent into darkness at night. We miss God’s rosy pinks and soft whites of dawn as we scurry to our next appointment. We miss God’s peace.
I know from years of experience that being busy sounds great until you realize what comes with it. Always being frenetically occupied is what many people aspire to, until you wake up shaking and sweating in the night worrying about keeping your life’s deck of cards from tumbling into a heap.
It sounds great until you have to live through the anger and yelling that spews forth from the stress factory in your soul. It sounds great until you have to live in perpetual turmoil. I actually used to live that way.
You may already know what I found out: It is horrible.
