"I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass, and have forgotten the Lord, your Maker." - Isaiah 51:12-13
It's not surprising that being in the waiting period of an application cycle for medical school potentially generates a marvelous amount of anxiety. what i've been learning recently though, is that anxiety is a subtle form of pride. This may be surprising to some, since pride is usually associated with arrogant self confidence which would appear to be the direct opposite of anxiety. But lets take a look at what pride is, when you get down to the root of it, pride is really a refusal to treat God as God. This manifests itself in refusing to honour him above yourself, in disobeying him, and perhaps most importantly, in refusing to trust in him. In other words, pride can manifest as self reliance as we come to believe in our own sufficiency instead of God's grace.
The only reason anyone would feel anxious, is if they placed their trust in themselves or other people, and find that trust to be misplaced. God asks a strange and uncomfortable question in Isaiah 51, "Who do you think you are to be afraid? What gives you the right to worry?" "Who do you think you are, Edward, to fear med school admissions boards?" "Who do you think you are to worry about your family's finances?" "What gives you the RIGHT to worry about the future when I've already said I would take care of you?" What I do, in worrying, is attempt to wrest control of my life from God's hands and place it in my own. It is prideful, it is sinful, and it requires of me daily repentance.
Humility is so much more than a reputation for modesty, it is an utter regard for the holiness and sovereignty of God and a sober view of our own sinful and limited state. It should have a bearing on how we love others, and it should seep into how we handle stresses and difficulties that arise from our day to day living. Encouragement for the week, pray for a deeper trust in God in our moments of anxiety. Learning to cast the objects of our worries onto God is one of the starting points of humility, and God LOVES to see us do this.
Have a happy wednesday!
Edward
"...Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility towards one another, for 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties upon him, because he cares for you." - 1 Peter:5-7
"But I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and besides me there is no saviour. It was I who knew you in the wilderness, in the land of drought; but when they had grazed, they became full, they were filled, and their heart was lifted up; therefore they forgot me." - Hosea 13:4-6
Ultimate rick roll, courtesy of Jon.
http://gizmodo.com/5669317/student-hides-rick-astleys-song-in-college-paper
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