The steering wheel of life

“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” - Matthew 6:27

We all know the feeling: our chest gets tight, our heart starts racing, and a pit forms in our stomach.

Fear. Anxiety. Worry. 

While fear is a normal emotion, worry can be a crippling experience.

Our mind runs a mile a minute. 
The thoughts are unceasing.
It feels like we’re stuck and can’t get off the hamster wheel. 

For me, worry tends to show up when I get overly stressed about future outcomes, when I’m trying to control things that are either out of my control or where answers aren’t available yet. 

It’s like I’m gripping the steering wheel of life, thinking that if I cling tighter, I can make the outcomes I want happen…or more often, avoid the things I fear will happen. 

Here’s the truth: We were never meant to be in the driver’s seat. 

Worry is the result of us trying to take God’s place, to be sovereign over our own lives. It feels productive for a season, but in reality, it doesn’t add a single year to our lives (it may even take a few off instead).

Jesus invites us to loosen our grip on the wheel. He tells us to seek first His kingdom and the other things will be added to us (Matt. 6:33). 

So, loosen your grip on the wheel and trust that you aren’t required to hold the universe in your hands…that instead, your life is held in God’s loving arms.

Where are you gripping too tightly right now?

What would it look like to place that situation back into God’s hands—and let your mind and heart find rest?