The wife of a deployed soldier once literally worried herself sick over her husband’s safety in a combat zone. Seeing her struggle, a dear friend who had walked the same road offered a piece of quiet wisdom:
Unless it happens, it hasn’t happened.
Reflecting on this story brought a realization: worrying and praying are essentially the same activity, but from polar-opposite perspectives.
Both direct our attention toward things outside our control. Yet one drags us into fear of the future, while the other grounds us in the presence of the One who actually holds it.
In his work on faith and the mind, neurosurgeon Dr. W. Lee Warren notes that our brains constantly process our internal thoughts without distinguishing them from external reality. When we dwell on catastrophizing scenarios, our minds and bodies react as though the crisis is already taking place.
Enter our Hero: Hope (God’s Version).
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. — Hebrews 6:19
The background for this eternal hope is the Lord’s original promise to Abraham: “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”
If you belong to Christ, raise your hand.🖐️ You’re a spiritual descendant of that very promise!
Kind reader, heaven’s hope isn’t bound or limited by anything here on earth. As the rest of Hebrews 6:19 reminds us, this hope “enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.”
When thoughts of tomorrow threaten to pull us under, we don’t have to anchor ourselves to our fears. We can tether our minds to the One who has already gone ahead of us.
Onward and upward!
Thank you for reading. Prayers and love.
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