Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Charles Spurgeon
Robs your Energy
If you think about your “unsolvable” problems, you’ve already wasted energy and time on them. What we can do is pray and do all that we can. After that, we must trust God to do what we can’t. It’s exhausting trying to carry your own load. I know! The Lord tells us both, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28). I’m s
Robs your Strength
Having anxiety about something you can’t change, is more than just physically exhausting (not sleeping, not eating right, no exercise); it spiritually drains your tank. When you worry, you don’t worship. When you’re anxious, you don’t praise. When you’re stressed, you don’t give thanks. Anxiety can be like a thief and rob your strength.
Robs your Time
Sometimes it seems as if there’s not enough hours in the day, however, I have learned to just walk away when I feel overwhelmed and leave anxiety behind me. I can’t possibly answer “x” amount of emails, write this many responses to questions, or get all that I have to do done today, let alone, this week. So what do I sometimes do? I set and think about how much I have to do and then how little time I have to do it in…but then, I think, “Wait! I’ve wasted time even thinking about it…so, note to self. Take a nap. Get back up. Eat something. Do what you can. That’s good use of my time, isn’t it?
Robs your Joy
Some people have said they like our Redeemer but we should look more like Him. If a frown is a testimony, it’s not a good one. After taking our strength away, anxiety can rob us of our joy. What happens is we (me included) spend time and energy worrying about things we can’t change, and that leaves us as “joyless Christians.” We ought to be the most joyful people on the planet because we’ve been redeemed…so, let’s try to look like the Redeemer, and be “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb 12:2).
Conclusion
I’m so ready for a rest in the Lord, and stop wasting my time, energy, strength, because it’s robbing of my joy. What about you? Has anxiety done that to you? He’s spent the night in bed with me more than once, but reading God’s Word left no place for him, since “Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD” (Prov 16:20).
