Day 15 - Stay on the Path

A Weightless Devotional

“Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.” —Psalm 37:8 (ESV)

If you’ve ever struggled with anxiety, you know all too well the host of unwelcome companions that hang around with it: fear, doubt, resentment, bitterness, and even physical ailments. Worry can feel like a lifeline, making the thought of letting go seem like a dangerous proposition. So, instead of abandoning worry with all its companions, you cling to it, believing it will build a hedge of protection around you, keeping you alert and focused on the problem at hand. But in reality, worry is a false protector, promising resolution but delivering destruction.

Anxiety, like the body's natural fight-or-flight response to danger, tries to keep us safe by putting us on high alert. But unlike fight-or-flight, that eventually goes away, anxiety hangs on, even when there is no clear and present danger. It simmers beneath the surface, never finding resolution. Over time, it puddles at the bottom of your soul. From that stagnant pool, other insidious emotions like unforgiveness, sadness, and bitterness begin to grow. This is the danger the Bible warns against when it says, "Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil."

Fretting is like balancing on top of a tall pole. The more you worry, the more weight you add to yourself in the form of emotional and physical distress. As the weight increases, the pole begins to bend and tip, threatening to drop you into the very chaos you were trying to escape. It’s a vicious cycle: one anxious thought begets more anxious thoughts, which in turn begets more distress. Soon, you find yourself teetering on the edge, about to fall into the chaos that worry was “helping” you to avoid.

But God offers a different way. He doesn’t want you to climb up that precarious pole of anxiety. He knows that fretting is like running into a dead-end alley to escape a pursuer—it doesn’t save you; it traps you. Instead of running into a corner, God invites you to run into His arms, where true safety and peace are found. His arms are a place of protection where you can be worry-free, as He holds off your assailants and keeps you on the path He has laid out for you.