God is King, and a Lion...a Lion King

Did you know that anxiety is a sin?

In the midst of talking about the lack of world peace with my friend last night, I mentioned that my motto is "hakuna matata." If you've ever seen Lion King, you know that means "no worries." So, as I sit at work and read all about the world going to hell in a handbasket, I tell myself, "hakuna matata" and try to remember that God is in control. So far, its worked ok, but all the news still leaves my mind unsettled, which makes for some crazy dreams. As I'm telling my friend that, I am flipping through a magazine and the headline "No anxiety" flashes before my eyes just seconds after I said hakuna matata. God has perfect timing like that ; )

Naturally, in a typical Hannah gets happy manner, I mumble some jumbo about anxiety, Lion King, and something else unintelligible and start reading.

Anxiety is fear, worry, or apprehension. The writer says it is a sin for two reasons: you are distrusting God and it shows a lack of acceptance for God's sovereignty or providence in our lives.

Why shouldn't we worry? Because "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7) He tells us NOT to worry about tomorrow, because each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34). Furthermore, He says to cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7, Psalm 55:22)

It is such a simple message, but it seems to be the last thing I think about when I start stressing about something. Why should we worry about tomorrow when God owns everything! He is in control, He knows what's going on, and there is nothing we can do to change His plans. Worrying won't add a single day to my life, or yours.

Of course, avoiding worry doesn't mean we can check out of life when trouble strikes. We need to face the storms and trials in our lives. As we are being pressed and molded (which is pretty painful 99% of the time), we must remember that God is working that situation for our good, and we must be faithful to obey. We can't forget our warrior sides : )

Even more exciting to me was the connection I made with anxiety and the definition of sin. Sin is transgression, which can be defined as "stepping over the boundaries." We've all heard about how we need boundaries and that removing boundaries not only makes for a terrible society, but also a troubled heart. Two nights ago, I was reading Psalm 16 over and over again, and verse 6 really caught me: "The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance." When we are following God's plan for our life, why would we need to worry at all? Maybe anxiety can also act as a warning that you've stepped over the line into sin territory. Kind of like those shock collars for dogs...it really hurts.

God's lines in the sand are good, and it would be less stressful to find that out by staying behind the line instead of crossing it to see for ourselves if the grass is greener on the other side.

I'm not perfect, and neither are you, so we might be apprehensive and fearful 5 months, 5 days, or even 5 minutes from now. But God still loves us, and He still has the whole world in His hands. Its ironic how becoming a control freak only leaves you more fearful instead of more in charge of control.

That was longest post ever. The end.