Where are you casting cares?

  ...casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.  1 Peter 5:7

That word 'casting' raises memories for me of my father fishing.  He would cast his lucky lure and catch wonderful bass to fry up for our dinner.  That lure would whirl forever in his practiced hands!

Casting has a myriad of 'throwing' meanings.  Skipping stones belongs to the category, too.  The disciple Peter, on the other hand, had in mind hurling into the distance, but unlike fishing at a favorite spot, he targets God, losing cares rather than gaining fish.

Modern therapists would have us cast our fears far from us and forget them. Fat chance! That never works with anyone I've talked to, at least. A more typical form for dealing with cares is dumping them on those nearest and dearest. This often makes things worse. Many a divorce happens that way.

If we try to fix them ourselves, we often lack willpower or reap a whirlwind and end up back where we started.

God knows a better way.  He is a great catch! He wants us to throw, drop, or drag our cares to Him to handle, not just for us to forget them and try to go on with a life of stress, or give our pains to burden others. He helps us deal with them. If beyond our power, and they most often are, then He takes them over. Whatever the process, He promises to be present.

Why?  Because He cares! A relationship of trust and love between us drives this hope. Just like a parent cares for a child with troubles, knowing that HE is dealing with the cares (His way, His timing, as hard as it can sometimes be) makes all the difference in the world!

Have you given over your cares?  More importantly, have you given over your life?  It is only those submitted to Him as Lord who can draw upon this care of a beloved Heavenly Father. Part of the cares we throw Him first include our sins...

Where are your cares?  Where are you casting them? Or better yet, to whom?

 Photo by Alex Rosario on Unsplash