Stop overthinking! (Part 2)
Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
I began overthinking when I was young because my disability prevented me from going anywhere so I always stayed at home to contemplate and think a lot. I used to prize my introspection and purposely lived in blurry vision by not wearing eye glasses in order to detach myself from the world and dwell in my own world. Eventually, I made the decision to see the world clearly, so I recently underwent eye laser surgery to correct my short-sightedness because I wanted to see and connect the world and get out of my little "overthinking" bubble.
I have gained a new perspective on physical and spiritual matters, teaching me how to see things better and deeper. Sometimes we confuse “depth” with complicated philosophical and existential questions. This seems to be driven by pride to prove that we are not that simple as we are keen to explore those “deep questions and issues”. Not to make you stop thinking deeply or contemplating questions; quite on the contrary, overthinking may put us in a state of so-called deep thinking or awareness, but we are not really aware of truth "depth". Truth depth imparts faith, hope, and love that is related to God, others, and ourselves. Overthinking leads to disillusionment and disturbance.
Childlike faith is essential to overcoming overthinking since it is true humility to realize that we do not know everything. A child is not an overthinker, but a learner who embraces their limitations with a teachable attitude. A child says, “I don't know all the answers, but I believe.”
Hope anchors our souls. A person who overthinks is likely to be restless in their minds, so the Bible gives us the helmet of hope of salvation, because hope does not disappoint and His salvation will keep our minds from spinning with fear and doubt.
Additionally, true depth manifests God's love, which embodies both grace and truth. Many times, we are our own worst critics, harsh and unloving towards ourselves, and unable to see the truth because we are fed with lies. As a result, we surrender our overthinking by receiving His grace and truth, by gently redirecting our anxious thoughts to God's love, and by submitting our problems to Him so we don't have to figure things out on our own, and we can finally surrender our anxiety because He cares for us.
A final practical tip is to take action and build authentic relationships with God and others, to be someone's blessing, and to obey God's word. May we have childlike faith to step out from our overthinking bubbles so that God's peace surpasses all my understanding to guard our minds and hearts in Christ Jesus.
Blessing prayer: We cast upon our anxiety upon you and take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen
