Recently, we’ve had quite an adventure with home repairs. This is just one of the issues we’ve faced . . .
I don’t know about you, but this kind of mishap stresses me out! I look more like this . . .
But . . . in recent days, I’ve been focusing on issues of the heart . . . and I realized that I’ve got a heart issue. John 14:1 states, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.” (NKJV) There are several things to recognize here:
1) The original language actually means to “stop in action already in progress”—or in other words, “Stop letting your heart be troubled . . .”
2) “Be troubled” is in the passive voice, so this indicates permission. In other words, “Stop allowing or permitting your heart to be troubled.” This means that we cannot merely “blame” the external circumstance for our troubled heart . . . we specifically decide to get “stressed out” about something and allow our heart to get worked up about it. That’s why the same circumstance can be tremendously troubling to one person, and yet hardly even faze someone else.
3) The verse ends with an exhortation to “believe in” or “trust in” Jesus. Thus, a troubled heart indicates a lack of belief or a lack of trust. Isn’t that so true?
It’s one thing to understand the truth . . . now to live the truth . . . the next time you are facing a stressful circumstance (which could be much more serious than a broken oven door!), take Jesus’ words to heart . . . but start in the opposite order of the verse . . . begin by affirming your trust in Jesus (remember that He’s MUCH bigger than any problem you could possibly face!), then recognize that you have the power to give or deny permission to your heart on how it reacts, and then stop giving it the permission to “stress out.”
Finally, add one more verse to your arsenal—John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Receive Jesus’ peace . . . a peace so other-worldly that it penetrates deep into your heart and quiets every fear. Now, to a little praying myself!
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