Trending Faith: Learning Not to Worry

On this week’s Trending Faith, College of Theology Dean Jason Hiles, PhD, sat down with GCU Pastor and Dean of Students Tim Griffin to discuss the troubles of and possible triumphs over worrying and anxiety in daily life.

Dr. Hiles views the “do not worry” sentiment in Matthew 6:25-34 as something of a commandment. He said problems arise when we as humans start trying to control every aspect of our lives (and other people’s lives) and lose sight of who’s ultimately in charge.

Renewing our faith in God and His plan for each of us can allow our minds and psyche to relax, knowing many things in our lives are beyond our control.

“What I find when I start to worry, I’m shifting my trust away from God and toward myself, or I’m very concerned about what others think so I’m trusting in their evaluation, which means I tend to think little of God, and quite a bit of myself and others,” Dr. Hiles said. “Then I think ‘Okay, I can own this, I can hold onto this, I can cling to this and if I control it, I don’t have anything to worry about,’ which is absurd.”

Worrying about ourselves, our loved ones, friends and life events may never permanently subside, but pausing to remember what’s truly important in life and keeping those aspects as priorities can help us breathe easier.

“It’s an incredible call to trust and obey and live in a way that’s rooted in this relationship with Christ,” Dr. Hiles said. “That’s absolutely life transforming, to be able to rest in that and for Him to provide. That’s amazing and incredible he’d even offer that. But to rest in that is a hard thing to do for a fallen human being.”

Listen to their entire discussion by watching the video below:

Find peace in the Lord. Read our recent blog post about resting your heart in Him. If you would like the chance to hear your questions answered, email them to trendingfaith@gcu.edu or use #trendingfaith.