Casting

Some time ago in my scripture memorization I came to this verse, "Casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you." (I Peter 5:7 ESV)

As I memorized this I thought about it a lot.  That word "casting" caught my attention.  I thought of the different uses of that word.  Fishermen use that word for the act of putting the bait out in hopes of attracting a fish.  We talk of casting a ballot when we vote in an election.  Dictionary.com says it means "to throw or hurl" or "to throw off or away."  

As I thought about the different ways we use the word I came to realize that a fisherman casts his bait and (if all goes well) he never gets it back.  The voter casts his ballot and never sees it again.  

When I applied that to this verse I came to realize how very poorly most of us fail in this regard.  We will take our anxieties to the Lord and share them.  We never really let them go.  We might give them up for a time but we tend to pick them up again.  

We are supposed to cast them off.  Throw them off.  Not only that but we are supposed to cast them upon Him.  What an amazing thought.  He invites us to give up all those anxieties and let him carry them.  He cares that much!

Next time whatever it is that is causing you anxieties raises its head remember that your Lord can carry them all.  You can live free of anxieties because he can handle them.  Now that is true freedom!