In a paradox, the familiar biblical instruction to “Be anxious for nothing” (Philippians 4:6) includes anything and everything we can experience.
It includes family matters: the child who’s struggling and you don’t know how to help, the growing responsibilities of caring for aging parents, or the conversation you know you need to have but keep postponing because you’re afraid of how it might land. It includes job concerns: the project that’s behind schedule, the clash with a supervisor or coworker, or that unsettling sense that you’re not securely in the loop. And for many of us, the anxiety comes from the incessant tremors of national and international issues that create upheaval in our lives.
Everything in our human experience falls under the umbrella of “nothing.” Thankfully, the command isn’t “feel anxious about nothing,” as if we could simply will our emotions into silence. The invitation is not to let anxiety settle into your mind and spirit and lie there unattended. Instead, Scripture urges us to “bring your anxiety about everything” to the One who can treat it with His peace that surpasses human understanding.
So as you step into this week, lay it all before the God who knows, who sees, and who cares. Because “be anxious for nothing” really does include everything – and that includes whatever is on your mind this Monday morning.
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