Contemplative Bible Reading

1 Peter 5:7 (New International Version)

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Please note the qualify working in the sentence – ALL.

Here is an exercise:

Get a piece of paper and a pencil

At the top of the paper write “My anxieties that I am giving to God for Him to handle for me”

Now write a list of your anxieties

Take a while to do this, there is no hurry

Okay, finished? Have you cast all your anxiety on Him?

Now, you know that one extra thing that worries you? That thing that you didn’t put on the list. Okay, now put it on the list, too.

The vast majority of people who do this little exercise  add at least one more anxiety when given the extra chance. For some reason we seem to hold onto at least one or two worries. They are too big, too little, too embarrassing, too secret, too well known, too something-or-other. We hold onto them as if God doesn’t know about them or cannot handle them for us.

How silly are we? How human and fallible are we?

God, help me to turn all of it over to you for your care. Yes even that one thing I am considering right now.