An Unwanted House Guest by Meredith Boggs
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34).
After signing the papers and getting the keys to our first house, we were the newest residents of East Nashville. We became city dwellers in the place we’d always called home but in a new, more official and permanent way. With a stone pathway leading up to the door and big windows on the east side to let in the morning light, our 1930s cottage-style yellow house was a quaint and lovely dwelling place that we looked forward to making our home.
As we moved our belongings in and slowly began making it our own, I found myself dreaming of all the memories we’d make in that house—babies I hoped we’d bring home to it and the love and joy I prayed would dwell richly there.
The word “dwell” connotes living with or living among, in a specified place, by invitation and by choosing. Interestingly, the Oxford dictionary uses the word “dwell” in its definition of worry: allowing one's mind to dwell on difficulties or troubles.
Worry is certainly not a companion we would knowingly invite into our home, a presence we would choose to have live there. But far too often, we open the front door to worry, allowing it to enter the home of our hearts and minds, in the name of anticipating, planning, and mitigating. It makes itself comfortable on our couch, ensuring us that it’s there to protect us so we’re not caught off guard by life's circumstances and concerning possibilities. Pretty soon, worry has taken up residence, and this house guest is consuming our space.
This is precisely what happens when we open ourselves up to worry, allowing our minds to fixate on endless uncontrollable factors. When our hearts cling to the illusion of control we feel by analyzing events and planning ahead, we fail to flex our muscles of faith. Allowing our minds to dwell on difficulties hinders our hearts from being able to meditate on the truth of who God is.
The Greek word for “anxious” in Matthew 6:33 is used other times throughout scripture and can be translated as worry, concern, or care. In the passage preceding this verse, Matthew implores us not to be anxious about tomorrow—about where we will live, what we will wear, or what we will eat. He knows the perils of allowing our minds and hearts to dwell on difficulties or troubles.
But the home of our minds and hearts can be a sanctuary of peace for those who trust in Jesus. He keeps in perfect peace those whose minds are stayed on him (Isaiah 26:3). When our minds are focused on Christ and fixed on the truth of his word, He dwells in us–and gives us perfect peace. For Christ-followers, worry and fear have no place in the home of our hearts.
Prayer: Father, forgive me for the times I have allowed worry to dwell in my heart. You are my protector and provider, my shield and shelter, my ever present help in times of trouble. Help me to keep my eyes fixed on you, knowing that only you can keep me in perfect peace.
Dig Deeper: Read Matthew 6:25-33.
Discussion Questions:
In what areas of your life do you open the door to worry and invite it in to dwell?
What are some practical ways (people to call, activities to engage in, scripture to meditate on) to dispel worry when you find that you have invited it into your home? How can you replace it with the truth that brings peace?
about Meredith Boggs
Meredith Boggs is the author of The Journey Home and host of The Other Half Podcast where she transparently shares real life that doesn’t make the highlight reel. Her writing has been featured by LifeWay, Relevant Magazine, and Grit & Virtue. She is a critical care nurse & sexual assault forensic nurse examiner by trade, lives in her hometown of Nashville, Tennessee with her high school sweetheart-now-husband, Justin, and their sweet baby Jack.
