Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
–1 Peter 5:7 NLT
Our worries and cares are the burdens that keep us from joy. There is freedom in giving our burdens to Jesus. In that freedom, we can experience joy. But first, we must learn to loosen our grip then open our hands.
We learn by repetition. Try and try again until we get it right. Until laying it down becomes natural, subconscious. Until Jesus becomes our go-to, only then will we discover real answers.
My son started piano lessons at six years old. Many times he heard me say, “practice makes perfect.” I thought that was it until one of his teachers corrected me. She said, “perfect practice makes perfect.”
Practicing incorrectly reinforces wrong behavior. We perfect the wrong things. So, we learn to worry and give up our joy very well. But learning to release our worries and cares to Jesus brings proper understanding through the results it produces. Freedom to experience God’s gift of joy.
There is joy on the other side of insecurity, fear, and other things that cause anxiety.
Give your burdens to the Lord,
and he will take care of you.
–Psalm 55:22a
I found this on the subject of anxiety that might shed some light on the subject for us. From Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers:
Anxiety implies not only some distrust of God’s providence, but also some kind of belief that we may be able to manage better for ourselves; therefore here, as in the Sermon on the Mount, we are exhorted, especially in time of danger, simply to do what we know we ought to do, and to be unheeding about the rest.
“Lord, it belongs not to my care
Whether I die or live.”
The confidence cannot be misplaced, for God is not forgetful of us.
Let us work today to identify the worries and cares in our lives and learn to give them to Jesus gently.
Joy Reflections
- What worries you to the point of stealing your joy?
- Is there any reason why you can’t ask Jesus to help you carry that burden?
- Do you trust Jesus to care for you and carry that burden for you?
Pray through these questions. Try journaling to sort out your thoughts. Maybe start keeping track of when something starts percolating. Then remember to have a conversation about it with Jesus.
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/1_peter/5-7.htm
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
This is a great insight! “Many times he heard me say, “practice makes perfect.” I thought that was it until one of his teachers corrected me. She said, “perfect practice makes perfect.” Practicing incorrectly reinforces wrong behavior. But learning to release our worries and cares to Jesus brings proper understanding through the results it produces.”
Thanks, Lisa. I’ll take that, but it feels like just plain hard work.
Amen, so beautifully spoken. “perfect practice makes perfect.” Humm, that’s food for thought there, I never thought of it that way. Practicing incorrectly does reinforce the wrong behaviors, indeed. I certainty paused and reflected on this. Thank you for sharing. I shared this on Pinterest. Blessings.
Visiting from #write28days.
Thanks, Paula. Thanks for reminding me about Pinterest. I started a board (My Concrete Dove) a few weeks ago but forgot to share my Joyology posts there. Ha! About practicing, I’m still learning to refine first so that I then practice the right things.