The Root of Restlessness
Sometimes our restlessness is physical––our bodies being unable to get comfortable enough to fall asleep. But other times, our restlessness is in our minds. Endlessly jumping from one thought to the next. What we would call worrying. In the middle of the day this can be draining. At night, it’s simply exhausting. While sleep may be exactly the mental break we need, it can be difficult to collect our thoughts enough to calm down and sleep. And maybe that struggle is only adding to the stress.
What’s On Your Mind?
It’s no surprise our minds feel so busy most of the time. On average, people spend 16-17 hours a day awake. Of that time, we’ll typically say about 16,000 words, hear about 20-30,000 words, and have over 6,000 unique thoughts. Whether this time is spent at home, at work, in the car, or lying in our beds, it’s safe to say that we have plenty to think about.
Late Nights with Our Thoughts
I’m sure you’ve experienced days that have left you exhausted and longing for bed. You finally crawl under the covers, only to find yourself recounting the day’s events––what you did, heard, saw, made decisions about, and what you still have to do tomorrow. Lie there long enough and you’ll likely end up digging into everything you’ve put on the backburner.
The problem is we often don’t feel like we have enough time in the day to think through all that life is sending our way—so we end up using time that’s meant for sleep for continued processing.
Dealing with Unanswered Questions and Confusion in Life
When I’m unable to sleep, it’s usually because I’m praying through uncertainty or waiting to hear from God on all my unanswered questions. I’m praying for my family and friends, I’m asking God to open doors with work and finances. I’m wondering if I’m doing everything in my power to follow God faithfully.
We all have things we turn to when we’re dealing with questions or confusion. Some people ask for the advice of trusted companions, while others try to dull the whirlwind of thoughts with books or games. In the worst cases, we’ll turn to substances like drugs or alcohol.
When all else fails, whether we plan to or not, we’ll turn to overthinking in an attempt to untangle the web of thoughts keeping us up. But unfortunately, that only seems to add to the problem.
Why Am I Overthinking?
God has given each one of us blessings to celebrate—things that bring us joy, provide comfort, and make us appreciate life. It’s natural to want to protect those blessings. We want to ensure nothing will jeopardize what’s good and avoid hardships as much as possible. So overthinking becomes our way of coping. We’re looking for stability, trying to see blind spots, and planning for every possible scenario.
Maybe you’ve been praying for smooth sailing in life but can’t seem to make your way out of the storm. Overthinking may seem like the only option. If there’s too much to think about during the day, shouldn’t I make up the time by thinking through it all at night? But God tells us there’s another way.
Jesus Relates to Us In Every Way
In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches a noteworthy sermon, commonly known as “the Sermon on the Mount.” It was a series of lessons that taught people what the Kingdom of God is like, and how we can enjoy life as Kingdom citizens (in other words, what happens when we submit to God and grow our relationship with Him).
What’s beautiful about Jesus coming to earth as a human is the fact that He completely understands us. Not because He’s God and knows everything, but because He became a person like you and me. A person who suffered long, sleepless nights as He prayed through questions, fears, and confusion.
Read that again. Jesus knows what you’re going through. He lived this life the same as you and me (yet without sin). If there’s anyone who can speak into our sleepless nights and help us put aside worrying, it’s Jesus.
What Do I Do When I’m Worrying?
When Jesus teaches about overcoming worry, never once does He tell us to stop worrying by our own strength. Never once does He belittle us for struggling with confusion. Never once does He expect us to ignore life’s unanswered questions.
What He does instead is give us tools to help pull our minds out of the cycle of overthinking and focus them on something stable that will actually bring us peace.
Truths to Bring Us Peace
1. There’s More to Life Than the Physical World
“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? (Matthew 6:25 NLT)
This section starts with a reframing (perhaps one we wouldn’t expect). A reframing of existence. We operate in the physical world. As a result, we’re prone to only think about the physical world––what will I eat? What will I wear? But life is more than the body. It’s more than this physical world.
Unseen to the human eye is a spiritual reality that exists in sync with this world. A spiritual world we are meant to embrace. More than just a body, we are a soul that was created to be with God in heaven. We live here on earth, but it’s not our final destination. When Jesus comes back, He will make heaven (the spiritual word) and earth (the physical world) one. In other words, our dwelling place and God’s dwelling place will be one.
As much as we have to worry about in this world, Jesus wants us to remember that God is in control of all creation––spiritual and physical––and wants to provide for your needs in both.
2. You Are Valued by God
“Look at the birds.They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your Heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to Him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all His glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your Heavenly Father already knows all your needs.” (Matthew 6:26-32 NLT).
The fact that God wants us to focus on our spiritual lives doesn’t mean that He ignores our physical life. He knows that we have earthly needs in order to survive. Jesus illustrates this by pointing out the birds of the air and flowers of the field––all of which are taken care of by God without a single ounce of worrying on their part.
You are God’s most precious creation, made in His image to have a personal relationship with Him. You are valued. You are loved. You are cared for. As much as we feel like worrying will solve our problems, it can never bring positive change to our lives. Instead, we should be reminding ourselves that God has chosen us and adopted us as His children. If He cares for the rest of creation with such intentionality, we can trust that He will take care of us, too.
3. Fill Your Mind With New, Better Thoughts
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today (Matthew 6:33-34 NLT).
The promise to overcome our worry isn’t without instruction. We can’t leave our life the same way and expect it to change. If we want our minds to be freed from confusion and our hearts to have peace despite unanswered questions, we need to give them the proper care.
If worry is the result of overthinking, we need new thoughts to take its place. For our minds, Jesus tells us to seek the Kingdom of God above all else. He’s telling us to look at the world like Kingdom citizens––believing that God is King and has authority over all creation. For our hearts, Jesus tells us to live righteously. It’s a call to follow God’s good and perfect way. Being a Kingdom citizen means we live like it. As we abide in God, we will learn more about His character. And as the Spirit abides in us, He will transform us into the image of Jesus.
This dual work of renewing the mind and cleansing the heart is the first step to overcoming worry. When we learn to put our faith in God, we don’t need to be confused. We just need to trust what He’s doing. When we practice righteous living, we don’t need answers to all of life’s unanswered questions, because we can be confident that we’re on a path that’s leading us closer to God’s will.
Receiving Comfort, Hope, and Cheer
Don’t let worry keep you up another night. God wants us to cast our cares onto Him. But we can’t do it on our own. He’s provided the framework for dealing with confusion and life’s unanswered questions. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can find the deepest comfort as God renews our hope and cheer.
When doubts filled my mind, Your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer (Psalm 94:19 NLT).
