How to cast your cares...

I discovered that the opposite of "anxiety" is "carefree."

When I think of carefree, I think of walking along the beach, dipping my toes in the water, feeling small, grateful, and alive. 

Or maybe I dream of strolling through the forest, taking in all the sights and sounds like the crunching from my boots on the path, the chirping birds, and the rustling leaves and stunning views.

Maybe carefree means I am literally free from cares, worries, and anxiety.  That feels a bit impossible, especially given today's climate, my work load, my goals, my family, and duties.

Could it mean that I am free in the sense of being liberated.  Ah.  Now we're on to something.    

It's not that I don't have worries and concerns and distractions--we all do--it may mean that I learn to cast them back to God when they come cascading down on my heart and mind.

But how?

I make it a practice to take thoughts captive.  Anxiety is a very real emotion and state of being.  Yet we do not have to stay stuck there.   When we become rooted in anxiety, it becomes quite caustic and a real source of danger to our emotional well being. ​  

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So what can we do to budge our way out of anxiety?

We cast our cares.

"Cast" means to hurl and sling, to throw (like a rock), to put upon.    BUT, perhaps more important than the action verb "cast" is the teeny little preposition "on."  

Where do we cast our worries? 

• Do we set them aside? 
• Throw them on our list of things to do hoping that will do the trick? 
• Do we dump our burden in  a corner to deal with it another day? 

Is that how we deal with anxiety?  Nope.  We cast our worries and cares, all our anxiety directly on Him.  Only God has shoulders that can sustain the freight of this life in this world.  

Literally, what does this mean? 

• It means we mindfully commit to the act of surrendering our cares to God. 
• It means that each time a worry raises its head, we fight back, saying, "Nope.  I gave you to God! Talk to Him about it."
• It means that we remind ourselves that soul anxiety has a cure--and His name is Jesus.  He even tells us to be of good courage and cheer because HIS was the ultimate victory. He has overcome the world as well as all the troubles we face--leaving us with His peace (John 16:33).
• It means we seek comfort directly from the Holy Spirit.  
• It means we pray and ask for strength to persevere and to endure.
• It means we come under His divine yoke, that is easy and light!

​

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Will you commit today to casting your cares?  I hope so! 

Drop me a line at choose2think@gmail.com to let me now how it's going for you!  I'd love to hear from you! 

​And be sure to snag the one-page guide to get you started today!