Happy Wednesday! I pray all are doing well. I share my thoughts today on worry and the futility of it. Futility is a synonym for uselessness, and it perpetuates anxiety.

My Scripture reference for devotional this morning was Luke 12:22-26.

“Then, turning to His disciples, Jesus said, ‘That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life–whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. Look at the raven. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to Him than any birds! Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the us of worrying over bigger things?” NLT

This spoke to me because I pray when I begin to get anxious or worry about something. I had a recent experience with my daughter when I began to worry about her. In self-awareness, I realized I was about to take myself on a roller-coaster ride. I immediately began to pray. It took a few minutes, but in a short time, I was at peace. I did accept that if I could’ve done something about the situation, I would have.

As a result, when we got back together, I was able to express what I did not like about what happened without being over the top. I was able to express my feelings in calmness. Thinking about various interactions that escalate, it is evident that when the offended person is out of control, things can get out of control altogether fairly quickly. After internalizing that self-control is a part of the fruit of the Spirit, your perspective begins to change in the mist of interaction with others.

Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things.

Another realization is that the only person you can control is you. Insisting on being right in an interaction doesn’t guarantee validation with the other person. It may seem that I digress. However, not worrying is a part of self-control. Taking control of the thoughts that begin to attack your peace is important. Here is a Scripture reference for this.

2 Corinthians 10:4 – “We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.” NLT

This point is important because we can certainly justify our actions with finite reasoning based on our sinful nature. This is just as true for ourselves as it is when we use it on others. Take to heart God’s standard for how to live. True freedom is when you can keep someone else’s behavior from controlling yours.

Be blessed and encouraged.