Are you guilty of overthinking? I sure am.
There are days when I wish that my brain had an OFF switch, where I could simply toggle the button and all my thoughts would stop and my overthinking of any one thing would cease. Weighing the pros and cons of every choice and action that affects our daily lives is a normal process. But, having said that, it is also a great way to drive ourselves crazy.
Admittedly, I’m even overthinking the words that I just wrote—wondering if they make sense or should I be going off in a different direction? Let’s face it, overthinking is exhausting. I would far rather go through each day with a flashing red arrow over my head pointing the road to take. Did you know that worry and anxiety are not heavenly commodities? When we are tempted to fall into the cycle of overthinking, I believe that God would far prefer that we direct our thoughts towards him instead.
Need proof?
“Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” (Colossians 3:2 NLT)
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Philippians 4:8 NLT)
Perhaps you can relate, but half the time I worry about things that never even happen.
The other day I had to be out of town for business—a nine-hour drive to be exact. The night before, snow was forecast for the locations that I had to visit. I despise winter driving and my work van is not exactly a stick-to-the-road tank on slippery roads. So, I slept poorly leading into the morning hours of my trip. I stewed and worried and overthought the weather. Guess what? Clear skies and sunshine for my entire excursion! My wife even told me not to worry and that God is still in control. Yes, I need to listen more to my wife and to God.
Wouldn’t it be great to crawl into bed each night without trying to scrutinize every little thought or action or kettle of fish that occupied our day? I would far prefer to lay my thought processes at the foot of the cross, step away and allow my Savoir to handle the details.
Someone unknown once said this. “There is nothing in this world that can trouble you as much as your own thoughts.” Speaking from personal experience, I would tend to agree.
Here is one final biblical nugget to help control our tendency to over-think.
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Roman 12:2 NLT) I am more than okay to allow God to transform the way I think. I’ll tell you what—if you pray for me, I’ll pray for you! Truth is, we do not accomplish anything by worrying, so let’s not overthink it!
Paul Smyth
