“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.  Do everything in love.”
~ I Cor. 16:13-14

Inevitably, I begin most mornings by waking up, and some care or concern floods my mind.  I don’t have an overly complicated life, so my concerns are usually basic- they are usually about something I need to complete at work, or some upcoming decision I need to make, or some relational issue I need to solve.  My mind clouds and my heart stresses, and I usually progress from being concerned to being consumed by whatever the hot problem is.  And I often let it dictate my mood and my attitude for the day.

Paul reminds me here, in these verses, that the way out of this mental myopia is two-fold.  “Stand firm in the faith”, he says.  Here, his suggestion is simple.  Attach your heart and mind to God your Father, and to His promises.  Focus on trusting Him about your life, your needs, your worries.  Trust that He loves you and will provide for you, and don’t be overran by your concerns.  Look up.

Once you have reminded yourself that God is with you, as His Word says (the source of our faith and hope), and that He is also looking out for you, He asks you to throw yourself out of the worry zone by taking your eyes off of the immediate problems. Check your mind instead into Him. “Do everything in love.”  Here it helps me to be reminded that He himself is Love incarnate.  To do everything in love is to do everything in  and with and through Him.  While your present concerns still sit around in your life, you still have things you need to do, and you have people to care for.  Ask yourself- who in my life has a need I can meet?  Who needs a prayer?  An encouraging email?  A lunch visit? To do anything in love is to act not solely for yourself, but to also act on behalf of someone else- whether you are meeting the need of another person, or are simply doing morning chores, but with the knowledge you are acting before an audience of one- He is with you.   Look out.

All issues and concerns will be resolved eventually.  We work on the ones we can when we need to.  To be ridden by anxieties is outside of God’s will for our lives.  However, God knows we need encouragement from time to time to move past problems in our private worlds.

Look up, and look out.  Following these actions, you will invariably recall: the One who made you (with furious tenderness), and Who made you to love, will provide you with the courage and strength you need for dealing with the concerns of this- and each- day.