(By Theanna Joyce)
We had bracelets and crowns made from daisies and dandelions. Mine were usually misshapen and on the verge of falling apart, but I loved them nonetheless and danced and twirled without a care in the world.
Wait, hold up. That’s not right.
They were certainly on the verge of falling apart, but I remember having some cares. I worried about math problems that didn’t add up and who to play with at recess. They felt pretty big at the time, yet now it feels like I have all that to carry (thankfully much less math in my life), along with the weight of the future. What’s the job going to be? Should I stay here or move? Is he the guy? Can I afford that house? Is this a good school district?
I don’t know all of your concerns, but I do know your God. He says to cast your cares on Him because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). I know you’ve heard the verse. It’s been quoted to you (or by you) so many times that the words wear thin and your worry is still a thunderstorm in your chest.
But He cares for you. It’s true. He wouldn’t have made you, wouldn’t have breathed life into your lungs if He didn’t care for you. And it’s more than just Creator to creation — God doesn’t forget the sparrows He made, but we are of more value to Him than they (Luke 12:7).
He cares for you. He wouldn’t have sent Jesus to the cross if He didn’t care for you. Don’t listen to the lies of the enemy. The accuser would have you believe that you are not worthy, but God has made you worthy (2 Corinthians 5:17,21). He wants you to think that God doesn’t have time for you, but God bends down to hear you pray (Psalm 116:2). He wants you to question how a loving God would let you suffer, but our God was willing to experience suffering so that He might share eternal life with us, and He will not leave us (Hebrews 9:28). Satan wants you doubting that you will ever get out of this, but God gives victory (John 16:33).
As you go into another week that’s full of new worries and old, remember that God cares for you. Speak the truth aloud as you make your morning coffee. As you dress the kids for school, remember that your Father has clothed you with Christ’s righteousness (Romans 5:17). As you sit in traffic on your way to work, pour out your heart to Him and leave your worries in His capable hands.
He is the one who made the daisies, the dandelions, and you. And as you continue to trust Him and stay in that abiding place, I pray you’ll be able to dance and twirl in circles, arms lifted in praise. Not because your problems magically vanished and everything became easy, but because God is with you and He is your God. And He cares for you.
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