“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7 NKJV)
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” (Philippians 4:6 NLT)
“Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” (Mark 4:18-19 NKJV)
When God created Adam and Eve He designed them to live in a care free environment. The Garden of Eden was patterned after Heaven. There was nothing in the Garden that required them to deal with the anxiety and stress that exists today in this sin filled world. Carrying care is outside God’s desire for His children. Jesus made this clear when He told us to cast our cares on Him.
I’m in a partnership with Jesus in everything that I do. For example, as a parent it’s my job to share, it’s Jesus’ job to care. I share the truth with my children, Jesus deals with the outcome in my children’s lives. As a parent, husband, worker, leader, or just a guy living life, “I don’t care.” Taking on the “cares” associated with life is above my pay grade. Thank you Jesus for caring for me. I was not designed to carry care. My loving Heavenly Father (Daddy) gave that job to my big brother Jesus.
“Caring kills.” Anxiety, stress, and worry are destructive to my mind and body. Experts say that up to 80% of all physical sickness is psychosomatic. When I try to carry the cares of my life I am expecting my mind and body to handle something that they were not designed to handle. These cares cause my mind to misfire and malfunction. Stress and anxiety throw my body chemistry out of balance, and wreak havoc on my immune system. Almost every sickness and disease can be linked to “cares” in some way.
I was raised to “care.” As a dad, and papa, I have been programmed to think that worrying about the well being of my family is a good thing. This way of thinking is even more pervasive with moms. I have heard over and over, from multiple sources, the phrase, “I am your mom, worrying about you is my job.” NOT! Satan loves it when we try to carry the cares of life. It makes his job of killing us much easier. Remember that he wants us dead. If he can’t kill us, he will try to destroy our lives. If he can’t destroy us, he will settle for stealing from us. Stress, anxiety, worry, and care will either kill us, destroy our ability to function in life as we were created to function, or steal our joy and peace.
Carrying cares is in Jesus’s job description, not mine. I have been given the freedom to live a carefree life. I do my best to live as an example of Truth. I teach those I lead to the best of my ability. I share the love of Christ with everyone in my life (especially my family). I pray for those I care about. But I do not carry in any way the burden of how anyone receives, or rejects, what I offer them. The Bible puts it this way, I am to plant seeds and water them, but it is God that makes them grow. The popular phrase, “let go and let God,” works well in this area.
In life, it is my job to fulfill the responsibilities I am given (work, marriage, parenting, ministry, etc.). It is not my job to control the results of carrying out my responsibilities. I do whatever I am called upon to do to the best of my ability unto the Lord and then rest in His ability to take it from there.
From this day forward I choose to live…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 132: “I don’t care!” (I refuse to carry something I was not designed to carry)