Good morning…
Certainly our anxieties could run rampant, with a deadly tornado suddenly ravaging Nashville, the wildfire spread of the Coronavirus, and the biggest drop in one day seen by the Stockmarket. Yet overwhelming anxiety is not our only option. Beloved author Max Lucado says, “Anxiety and gratitude cannot share the same heart.” I actually think anxiety and gratitude share a part of every heart, but where are we placing our attention? To shift our focus off of our anxiety and onto our gratitude, Max offers us the acronym C.A.L.M.
Max drives home his point by providing a great car repair analogy. When you take your car to be repaired, you leave your car and trust the experts. You don’t pack a sleeping bag and settle in on the garage floor and tell the mechanic you are right there if he needs your help! You trust the expert to make the repairs. Similarly, we are called to stay C.A.L.M. and to trust our wise Creator to rebuild, redeem, renew everything, in God’s expert way, over God’s expert time.
Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you (Psalm 55:22a, AMPC). Because we are imperfect humans in an imperfect world, anxieties will naturally well up again, even in the most grateful heart. But we know what to do. In C.A.L.M. we cast and keep casting our cares onto God, placing our trust in the Master Mechanic who is rebuilding, redeeming, renewing everything. Is anything too hard for God? (Genesis 18:14, MSG).
Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way (James 1:2-4, MSG).
…Sue…
