Those words are shadowed in the Facebook status box. I’ve seen them many times during the half a second between clicking the box and when I start typing my post. They’ve never stopped me from creating a post until now.
This morning was nothing special. I got up, got the kids ready for school, and got them on the bus. I realized in order to make it through the day without needing a shovel and an alibi, I probably need Jesus and coffee. So, I fired up my espresso machine and grabbed my Bible.
As I sat down, I noticed the “moment.”…Do you know what I’m talking about? That one split second where the aesthetic is perfect and pure joy cancels out all the negativity, noise, and stress? It only lasts a few minutes but I usually try to get a picture so I can look back on it later. Being a millennial, after a good “moment” pic, I edit it, and upload it on Facebook. When I opened the app, “What’s on your mind?” was staring me in the face.
Suddenly, the cute caption that was to be posted with the “moment” picture disappeared. “What’s on your mind?” It was as if God stopped me and asked me Himself. “What’s on your mind?”
So, I word vomited to Him about my kids. My marriage. Politics. War. The future. My dirty house. My shopping list. Food. Bills. Gas prices. The extinction of common sense. My physical and mental health. Sermons I’ve heard. Events I’m planning. My business ideas. Goals. Dreams. Regrets. Then “low battery” had the audacity to pop up on my phone and I replied with a very loud, sarcastic “yeah, me too phone! Me too!”
When I was finished playing the part of Job, I had a Paul epiphany. (If you don’t know who these men are Google them. Their Bible stories are awesome!) I noticed all the things on my mind stem from one of two places. A place of guilt or a place of fear.
Guilt over not being a good enough parent, not cleaning enough, eating the wrong things, saying the wrong things, overcommitting, and feeling selfish about self care.
Romans 7:18-19 “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”
Guilt is good. It shows “the desire to do what is right”. Use it for motivation. To grow and learn so you can do better. It’s when you let it consume you that you need to reread “but not the ability to carry it out.” Jesus took this burden from you. You can’t do it, so don’t. Perform to the best of your ability. Jesus is not an excuse to do bad things. However, when you inevitably mess up, give it to Him and leave the all consuming guilt at the door.
Then there’s fear. Fear of judgement, embarrassment, loneliness. Fear of failure, war, pain, and death.
Mark 5:36 “But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, ‘Do not fear, only believe.’”
“Do not fear.” This is what Jesus said to someone who has just been told their daughter died. (Can you imagine being told your child died, but eh, no big deal? Just have faith!) But, Jesus went to their house and raised her from the dead. What he said was true. Hindsight always shows us that we didn’t need all the fear and worry we put ourselves through.
If that isn’t the perfect parallel for our world right now, there isn’t one. Jesus has promised us life through Him as long as we believe. Literally, nothing else matters. It seems impossible to comprehend. Everything else is just noise. Turn it off. Open your Bibles. Don’t know how to read it and understand it? Read the Bible Savvy Series first. Spend time with God. Spend time with your loved ones. Let the rest go. *Spoiler alert* It all turns out ok.
I know I’m not alone in this. I talk to people everyday who are feeling the same weight. Maybe your “What’s on your mind” list is longer, shorter, or different. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that God’s got this and it’s all going to be ok.