Living Free from the Cares of This Life
"But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly." – Luke 21:34
The cares of this life often feel like an unavoidable weight, pressing down on our minds and hearts. Some seek relief through escapism—losing themselves in entertainment, pleasure, or distractions. Others attempt to bear the load through sheer discipline, managing responsibilities with relentless effort and careful planning. Yet Jesus warns that both approaches—escaping life’s burdens or carrying them in one’s own strength—lead to the same outcome: being weighed down.
E. Stanley Jones calls this “the sin of the conscientious”—those who refuse to drown their cares in worldly dissipation but instead bear them alone. The problem is not responsibility itself but where we place our trust. When life is managed in our own strength, even good things become a source of tension, anxiety, and strain. The solution is not withdrawal from life, nor is it greater diligence—it is a change of center.
Jesus invites us to step out of ourselves and into Him. The moment we surrender the weight to Him, we discover that we are no longer tethered to the pressures of time and circumstance. Instead, we live in the eternal now—fully present with Christ, where all things take their rightful place under His authority. Responsibilities remain, but they no longer master us. Instead of being controlled by the urgent, we rest in the One who reigns over all.
Rather than striving to order our lives, we yield our lives to the One who holds all things together. This is the life of peace—not an escape from reality, but the right relationship to it.
Reflection Questions:
How have you tried to manage the cares of life—through escapism or through self-discipline?
What would it look like to surrender these burdens to Christ instead of carrying them yourself?
Can you think of a time when you experienced the freedom of trusting Him instead of being weighed down?
Prayer of Trust:
Father, You have placed me in Christ, and in Him, I lack nothing. I release every care and concern to You, knowing that I was never meant to carry them alone. Thank You for the eternal security of Your presence, where time and circumstance no longer rule my heart. I choose to live today in the peace of surrender, resting in the unshakable life of Christ within me. Amen.
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Photo Credit: Unsplash
Excerpt From: In Christ, E. Stanley Jones