Volume 111: Rest in God's Grace for Overthinkers

In Genesis chapters 32 and 33, Jacob is so nervous to confront his brother Esau... he creates a full plan of splitting up and escaping and gathers animals and gifts to give as a present. He prays to God, "Please deliver me from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me..." 

A lot of thinking and preparing and worrying... 

"But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him and they wept."

An unexpected outcome!

In Luke chapter 15, the prodigal son is so nervous to confront his dad... he prepares a whole dialogue of what he will say and is even ready to become a servant. He plans, "I will arise and go to my father and I will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.'"

A lot of thinking and preparing and worrying... 

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion and ran and embraced him and kissed him."

An unexpected outcome! 

This week, I was scheduled to have a conversation about my future with Ozark on Friday... every day, I felt a tightness in my chest and every night, I awoke in the middle of the night as my mind raced through the conversation line by line. What would I say? What will they say?

A lot of thinking and preparing and worrying... 

"But we love you, Morgan, and nothing will change that!" 

An unexpected outcome! (well, not actually... I never doubted their love because they are wonderful leaders and so much more than just work supervisors!)

God's grace. 

It shows up in small, counter-cultural, unexpected ways. 

Through the loving embrace of a brother or a father or a boss. 

And it shows up for the overthinkers! The ones who are thinking and preparing and worrying...

How often do I blow things out of proportion in my mind, preparing for the worst? 

How often do I try to plan for every small thing? 

How often do I fall into the trap of anxiety and worry?

Of course God shows His grace to the overthinkers! As a small reminder that we do not have to worry. And that things are never as bad as we may envision in our head. Because God is the one in control! And if we have Christ in us, we have all that we need!

Jesus tells us in Matthew 6, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on... which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?... But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

Despite these instructions, this is a cycle I fall into time and time again... worry. 

Whether telling Mrs. Green, my old assistant principal, that I was not going to be teaching at Beck the next year. 

Or telling my family that I was moving to Houston, Texas. 

Or telling a staff member that she is no longer able to work at camp this summer after she was already hired. 

I get so worked up. My heart beats a million miles an hour. I get single focused on that one thing. 

And every. single. time. it goes better than I imagined. 

Not because of me... I still fail at my words and cannot articulate...

But because of Jesus. Because of His grace. And His new mercies every day. And the way He works through His people. 

God's grace shown through Esau and the prodigal son's father and Debbie and Ali. 

So may we find rest in the fact that our God is the one in control and we actually really can listen to the words of Jesus and not worry. Rather, may we seek first His kingdom. 

Pray for the situation. 

Read God's word. 

Listen to worship music. 

Set my gaze on Him. 

And He will work and provide. 

Sermon of the week : I am so grateful for Annie Downs' vulnerability in this message and her encouragement. I ask that all of you listen to this sermon at some point (Yes, even though you are married!) I can relate to many things she said as a single young adult - feeling the pressures of being "behind" if I am not married yet, especially when all my friends are married now. Yet what a beautiful reminder to not let one closed door keep me from the open doors right in front of me!

"Fall in love with YOUR life. The life God has given you - whether marriage, engagement, dating or singleness - see it all as abundant."