A Worried Father

November 6th, 2024

A Worried Father
Author: Ian Young, Middle School Director
Anchored - Part 5

Despite all the qualities my faith in Jesus is and should be—steady, consistent, not wavering—it often falls short. When a worry or anxiety enters my mind, rather than stopping and taking every one of those thoughts captive and making them obedient to Christ, I wage war according to the flesh, which is the opposite of what we are called to do.

For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh, since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.

– 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

The lie of the enemy tends to keep me believing that if I play out all the “what ifs,” all the scenarios, all the things that can go wrong, then I will be better prepared for them when they come. This weakness has been heavily highlighted with my wife Olivia’s pregnancy. We are currently expecting our second son, Silas. My anxiety this time around is less in some areas since I know a little more about what to expect, but in other places, those thoughts are ravenous. They infiltrate my body, my mind, and my actions. They leave me feeling like there is nothing I can do to protect my family.

When I have struggled with bringing my worry and anxiety about my wife and youngest son to the feet of Jesus, I’ve been seen and helped in that endeavor by others.

In his book, “Building a Non-Anxious Life,” author, Dr. John Deloney, makes the case that we are never ready for “the bomb” to drop. All those things you rehearse in your head, all the rabbit holes of worst-case scenarios you convince yourself will happen, even if you’re right on the money, you will never be prepared for the bomb to drop.

However, this does not mean we are hopeless, and all is lost. The solution is found in living the way Jesus instructs at the end of Matthew 6.

Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

– Matthew 6:34

If we take every thought, every worry, and every fear captive and give them all to Him, I believe we will be more focused on the present, less fearful of tomorrow, and ready for what God has given us in every moment. When those difficult things come our way, we will have built up the discipline to go to our loving God with all of it.

When I have struggled with bringing my worry and anxiety about my wife and youngest son to the feet of Jesus, I’ve been seen and helped in that endeavor by others.

On a Sunday, as we were doing prayer requests and praises, an eighth grade student noticed I had been praying for Olivia and Silas each week. She spoke up and added me to the prayer requests list because she could see how worried I was.

Also, in a recent staff meeting, I added Olivia and Silas to the prayer request list and even added that they were both in good health, and that I was just an anxious dad. Then Arch said to pray for me as well. He said it in a light-hearted, caring way, but he also could tell the fear that was ever present in my mind.

Do not wage war alone. Go to God and go to God with others, and watch what the Father will do.