How much time do we spend mentally rehearsing things that never actually happen?

We replay conversations that haven’t taken place, we anticipate people’s responses before they have responded, we prepare ourselves for rejection that hasn’t happened, conflict that may never come, bad news we haven’t received and outcomes God never told us were coming.

The mind goes into rehearsal mode, repeatedly acting out a play that may never make it to the stage.

This is one of the ways worry and anxiety consume us. They make us experience the emotions of an imagined future in our present reality. Your body is here, but your mind is living through tomorrow’s possibilities.

Jesus tells us “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34

There is Godly wisdom in refusing to suffer tomorrow’s trouble today, especially when that trouble may never arrive.

Some of us need to stop rehearsing and start resting. Stop writing imaginary scripts for conversations God hasn’t asked you to have. Stop preparing responses to accusations nobody has made. Stop predicting endings to stories God is still writing.

Find rest in God, trust Him, trust His Word and His promises concerning your life. When your mind starts rehearsing again, say this boldly, shout it out if you need to

“God will give me the grace to deal with whatever comes my way. Until then, I refuse to live through something twice, especially something that may never happen at all.”

Remember what the Word says – “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3

Get your mind out of rehearsal mode. The play may never be acted.

With Love,

Rev. Amanda Bedzrah