“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from […] the anxieties of daily life.” Luke 21:34
Okay, honest moment: I fly all the time and I HATE IT. I have no control over what happens in that plane and that freaks me out.
Recently, I was on a plane back to school and feeling quite sick of flying. Tired of the planes, the time it takes, the turbulence (SO TIRED OF THE TURBULENCE), and just tired of leaving people I love. I was feeling pretty grumpy about it.
As we started taxiing down the runway and the anticipation in my stomach was building the little boy behind me put his hands up and yelled “WOOOOOO!!” I thought to myself “little does he know, planes are not fun.” Then I realized, that’s how I could feel about flying too if I wasn’t so scared. He wasn’t being silly or naive, he was confident in his safety.
I began to think about the way I live.
Do I live confidently in the protection of God or trapped in anxiety? The Lord even tell us that anxieties will cloud our hearts. In Luke 21 he says “beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from…the anxieties of daily life.” I don’t know about you but I feel pretty called out by that verse. When was the last time I just let myself have fun? Threw my hands up in the air and screamed with joy in the face of fear instead of thinking of all the ways something could go wrong? Honestly y’all, I can’t remember. I can’t remember the last time I looked into the face of something that scares me and laughed. I can’t remember a time when the anxieties of life didn’t cover my heart. But that little boy reminded me so quickly of how I need to be living life.
God has good things for us. He loves us. Sure we mess up and screw up and we aren’t the best at keeping promises but HE IS. That’s the glorious part. Our God wants good for us. He wants joy, he wants reckless abandon, He wants unreserved love. He wants hands in the air screaming with joy. Sure the adventure can be scary and we may not always be in control but we are called to stand and raise our heads confident in the salvation Jesus won for us (Luke 21:28).
While that flight was super bumpy and I’m definitely still growing I owe a lot to that little boy. He showed me how to be brave. How to enjoy even the scary things. How to laugh in the face of fear.
Reflect/Journal/Talk About It
- How can you offer the anxieties of life to God so that your heart may not become drowsy?
- How can you grow in reckless abandon and trust?
- What are some things you look at with fear that God wants you to look at with joy?
- Write down all the ways that God has provided good things for you in the past week. Start with your health, your freedom, and your faith and go from there.
This blog is part of a series called, “Love Notes.” That’s what the Bible is — a big, giant, love letter from God, to you. In these blogs we pick out a favorite verse to write about in the hopes that you will take it to prayer and reflect on it too, either by yourself or with friends. God wants to speak to you through Scripture, use this blog as a guide to help you listen! Find more Love Notes blogs by clicking here.
