“Cast all your cares on Him, because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
I spent the better half of my day worrying about circumstances beyond my control. My mind was cluttered and overwhelmed. I was tired and weary of giving my focus and attention to what I could not change. But every time I’d attempt to lay it down, I’d subconsciously pick it back up again, minutes later.
Does this sound familiar to you?
I was growing frustrated. “Why can’t I seem to let this thing go?” I asked myself.
Letting go of a thing is very rarely a one-and-done deal. It’s most often a continual process. Commonly, it’s taught that when the worries and cares come rushing in like a flood, we should receive them, allow ourselves to feel them, and then let them go.
And then let them go again.
And then again.
And yet again.
But I was tired of this charade. I got to thinking that perhaps letting go of my cares was simply not enough. There had to be more to this process than what I was comprehending.
Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32)
The Truth About Casting Our Cares
It’s interesting to note that the definition of to cast is to “throw something forcefully in a specified direction.”
In other words, when scripture says we are to cast our cares upon Him, what it means is that we should..
hurl,
chuck,
pitch,
launch,
propel,
send,
fling.. our cares upon the Lord.
This adds a whole new meaning to the word, cast, doesn’t it? Essentially, we ought to send our cares away as hard as we can, as far as we can.
To Lay Down or To Cast Up
A commonly repeated quote says that we ought to lay our burdens down before the Lord. However, nowhere in scripture does it actually say this. What scripture does say is this:
Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. (Psalm 55:22)
Cast your burden. There’s that word again. The problem with the idea of laying down our burdens, is that it’s all too easy to pick them back up again.
The struggle is real, isn’t it? The temptation to pick up what we previously laid down?
What if instead of merely laying down our burdens, we were to cast them up?
Out of our reach.
Far beyond our ability to take them back.
Straight into the hands of Jesus.
A New and Better Way
How might this idea of ‘casting your cares’ change your perspective?
Some might think that this is an insignificant twist on words. But it was life-changing for me! I don’t simply want to lay my cares down. I want to cast my cares as fast, and as hard, and as far away as I can.
If I believe that Jesus truly does care for me, as His Word says, then I can be sure that He wants this for me too!
The next time you’re tempted to lay your burdens down, why not cast them up instead! Let Jesus carry them away, as far as the east is from the west.
This is how much He cares for you!
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