Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. -1 Peter 5:7
I would like to tell you a story about a friend of mine. His name was Ray. Ray was respected and loved by nearly everyone in the community. Ray had a way to make you feel loved, listened to, and respected. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with cancer. The next couple years were a journey of the cancer taking over. Throughout those couple of years, people would comment on how strong Ray was. Youth in the youth group would say that they hoped to be as strong as Ray someday.
I think there is this idea that in order to be strong, we have to pretend that it is all okay and that we just have to put our head down and power through whatever it is that we are going through. Yes, there are moments in our life when we have to work through hard things and that does take effort and strength. But, as I learned from Ray, strength can look like acknowledging the fact that he was really scared. He was not happy with cancer, he did not hide these emotions. Instead he opened up about why he was feeling that way and how his faith and those around him were helping him through that. I realized in that moment, that is a different kind of strength. One that helps us know that being honest and real with ourselves and those we trust about how we feel and what we are going through is so important.
We are promised in many ways throughout scripture that God hears us and God walks alongside us in the real and raw moments. May we cast our anxieties and cares on Christ, knowing that he walks with us and loves us through it all. Even and especially when we do not feel all that strong.
Jay Kiel
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