The Worries of This Life

“Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.  - Mark 4:18-19 NIV

I often think about the moment when I will finally meet Jesus face to face. I imagine all the confusion and noise of life suddenly stopping and being faced with ultimate reality. How will I look back on my life? What things will still feel important, and what will seem like pointless distractions?

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus names three things that have the potential to distract us from living the life we were born for: “the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things.” I feel the tug of all three in my life, but probably the biggest battle for me personally is fear.

Anxiety, for me, is a daily battle. It ranges from moments of irrational fear as I find myself picturing something horrible happening to my girls, to a background sense of gloom, insecurity, and loneliness, to a familiar tightness in my chest that comes and goes, seemingly for no reason. I am sick to the back teeth of it, honestly. 

What’s the cause?

Simply put, the foundation for my anxiety is what I believe about the world around me. 

My core beliefs direct my thoughts, my thoughts control my emotions, and my emotions power my choices. Unfortunately, in my case, there’s also a kind of emotional feedback loop. If I’m not careful, I default to “My emotions are my reality.” Anxious feelings then “prove” that my world is a scary place, leading to more anxious thoughts (this time about my anxiety) —and even more anxious feelings. 

It’s no accident that Proverbs 4:23 NIV urges, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Romans 12:2 NIV gives the key to freedom from anxiety: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” It is therefore paramount that I uncover my faulty beliefs about the world as a first step towards renewing my mind.

I can point to several causes for my warped worldview,  things that happened in my past, both in my childhood and more recently. These events will differ for each of us, and it’s well worth getting help to reveal the lies our past hurts have caused us to believe about ourselves, the world, and others. 

However, in the past few months, Holy Spirit has also highlighted aspects of my wrong thinking that may be universal within our culture - fear-inducing ideas that have snuck into my thinking without me realising. These ways of thinking are in sharp contrast with the worldview of the Bible (which I believe, at least in theory!). Nevertheless, being constantly immersed in a false view of reality has influenced my thinking more than I’ve cared to admit.

Let me explain, and you can see whether or not you have also fallen prey.

The world as we know it

Imagine a teeny, tiny globe set in the incomprehensibly, unendingly vast, dark void of space. Somehow, on this lonely planet, the blind laws of nature have conspired to create intelligent life. Alone and unprotected, the planet’s billions of inhabitants must invent whatever meaning and purpose they can for their short lives, staving off death for as long as possible before it inevitably claims both them and everyone they love…

Given the far-reaching influence of this nightmarish vision, is it any wonder we are called the “anxious generation”? 

Thankfully, this is not the real world that we live in. However, I’m realising that this version of reality has a deep hold on my imagination. Here are some ways this plays out for me:

When I look outside, I see “nature” devoid of God.

As a result of my scientific training, I tend to look at the ‘natural’ world as something that exists apart from God’s involvement. 

This isn’t reality! The Bible teaches that God is actively taking care of every little detail of creation: “In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” - Job 12:10, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.” - Matthew 10:29 NIV. 

The Bible teaches that every breath I take, every day I get to live, is a deliberate, conscious gift of grace from God to me. If you woke up this morning, it was because God wanted you to.

When I imagine God, I see him living somewhere “up there” in the emptiness of space.

This way of thinking might have something to do with the idea of “heaven” as somewhere far above the sky, at a great distance from us. I have also realised that, in my mind, the thousands of years that separate the modern world from the time of Jesus’ earthly life make God seem distant both in space and in time.

In reality, God is right here with me! The Bible pictures God surrounding us, within touching distance: “You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.” - Psalm 139:5 NIV, and choosing to be intimately present within our bodies, “we will come to them and make our home with them.” - John 14:23 NIV. How would my thinking change if I constantly imagined God filling my body with his comforting presence?

I often assume I’m in charge of my life and, therefore, that the outcome of everything is up to me.

Not true! The Bible teaches that God is ultimately in charge (and in fact, we have a lot less control over our lives than we imagine): “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”- Proverbs 19:21NIV. We didn’t make ourselves, and we don’t need to discover our own purpose: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” - Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

I cannot overemphasise how wholly terrifying it is to believe you are in control of your own life. To do so is to assume the role of God, cursed with all of the responsibilities inherent in the role, yet with none of the almighty power. What could possibly be worse?

My new favourite verse is simply “The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice” - Psalm 97:1 ESV. God is in the driver’s seat - so relax and enjoy the ride!

What am I meditating on?

One of the best ways to take on a belief is through meditation, by which I mean dwelling on, mulling over, or pondering, in essence, spending a lot of time immersed in a certain way of thinking about life.

In our modern world, we excel at this kind of meditation. Our phones keep us engaged in it every day. I am constantly watching, reading, listening, and even mindlessly scrolling through messages that promote the nightmare of our culture rather than God’s truth. There’s a reason why I imagine reality the way I do! I feed myself this worldview through a constant diet of TV shows, YouTube videos, and news articles, unable to resist more “information” and “entertainment”.

I used to be (even more) addicted to my phone and felt a sense of comfort from the thought of “zoning out” by plugging in to this stream of negativity - but at a great cost to my peace and joy. I’m now gradually detoxing. 

Let’s take a moment to remember the truth about my life. 

Our Reality

If you dig right down to the deepest reality, to the very foundation of the universe, you find the God who is Love: totally capable, unshakable, unadulterated love. Thousands of years before I was born, at great cost to himself, that loving God made a way for me, a messed-up, sinful person, to be brought close to him and become part of his family, forever. I didn’t make this happen; all I have done is put my trust in him and said, “Yes, please!” I will never be separated from this love. 

That’s not to say there is nothing to be afraid of. The heartbreaking reality is that many people are alienated from God and face the terrifying prospect of being permanently separated from him. I need to know what’s at stake and do what’s required: “continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel”. 

However, given this healthy fear of God, there's nothing else I need to fear at all! Jesus has already done the scary part. My reality is an incredible hope in a future filled with comfort, love, joy, and peace beyond anything I could comprehend right now. 

What I’m realising is that in order for healing to come, it’s not enough that these biblical truths live somewhere in some corner of my mind. This truth has to fill my whole heart, my thinking, my imagination. I have to be filled with this new reality, flooded with it, until my thoughts, emotions, and even physical feelings start to change. This is not something that will happen all on its own - being “transformed by the renewing of your mind” takes participation and practice.

So, what are you feeding your mind with? How much time do you spend immersed in God’s reality, and how much inadvertently meditating on scary lies?

If, like me, you struggle with anxiety, I challenge you to make a change in what you are consuming. This is a complex issue with no one silver-bullet solution. That said, gazing up into God’s reality is likely to be a darn sight more edifying than staring down at your phone.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. - Philippians 4:8-9 NIV (emphasis mine).

Join my email list