“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.” Proverbs 12:25, ESV
Giving our burdens over to our Lord Jesus Christ and accepting His gift of rest is not always easy to put into practice. Perhaps you are experiencing a continual challenge or ongoing situation, and you may find the emotions, fears or worries associated with it coming back even after you thought you let go of it.
Letting go of our burdens and everything connected with them is often not a one time action. We may have to do it repeatedly. It might be something that we do every day during our private time in commune with the Lord.
Even when we think we have cast something over to the Lord, we may have the tendency to “reel it back” onto ourselves. It is easy to fall into the trap of negative thinking, and negativity begets more negativity. If we are worried about something, the more we dwell on all of the possible negative outcomes, the more we feed that worry and it grows.
There is great wisdom in these words from Proverbs 12:25. Spending time with the Lord, relieving your burdens and worries, is the crucial first step in accepting the peace and rest He offers. However, there is another step: do not focus the negative. Instead, focus on “good words”, positive thoughts, or as the old saying goes, count your blessings. After unloading your cares to Him in prayer, remind yourself the uplifting and encouraging promises in His Word.
We all could use more words of encouragement. Challenge yourself today to share something uplifting and positive when you feel tempted to say something negative.
