Have you ever heard the expression “you’re a basket case”?
We generally say that to someone who is letting the circumstances of life overwhelm them. They begin to fall apart in the drama and chaos of their situation. This saying implies that their life is disjointed, in pieces. They need someone else to pick up the pieces and put them in a basket.
So now you know where that came from.
Worry!
The great destroyer. It destroys joy, peace, loving relationships, sleep, clear thinking. I once heard someone say “if I didn’t have anything to worry about I’d be worried”. A lot of people live this way but it’s not how God wants us to live.
“God is our safe place and our strength. He is always our help when we are in trouble. ” Psalm 46: NLV
I had never thought about it before but Moses’ mother had reason to worry. The Egyptians had ordered all Hebrew or Jewish male babies to be killed.
Her son became a basket case, literally. His mother wove a basket made of reeds and sealed with pitch. She put Moses in the basket and set it close to the bank, in the bulrushes of the Nile River. Her’s was not an action of fear or worry. No, it was a true trust in the Lord.
“And the mother and father of Moses hid him for three months after he was born. They did this because they had faith. They saw that Moses was a beautiful baby. And they were not afraid to disobey the king’s order.” Hebrews 11:23 ERV
I heard a teaching once about worry. It goes something like this.
A successful businessman was asked what he did when situations came up with his business dealings that were bigger than he could handle. He was sitting at his desk and pointed to a box in front of him.
He said, “I put all my worries in the box. Then I pray about them and close the box. I never think about them again until the following Wednesday when I open the box and take them out. Most of them are no longer problems by then. They have been resolved without me worrying over them. If they haven’t been resolved I repeat the process and go on about my way until the next week.”
I’ve had the opportunity to share this story with a number of people personally and I’ve given them worry baskets. Recently I was in the home of one of these young mothers and I was pleased to see that she still has her worry basket hanging in her kitchen. It’s a visible reminder that God is big enough to handle our problems.
“The Lord will lead you. He himself is with you. He will not fail you or leave you. Don’t worry. Don’t be afraid!” Deuteronomy 31:8 ERV
So instead of seeing the term “basket case” as a negative I choose to look at it this way; any situation that would cause me to worry or be afraid is ready for the basket! I can trust God to handle it. He’ll do a better job than I can, just look at what He did with Moses.
“Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have. 7 And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds.” Philippians 4:6-7 ERV
Get yourself a worry basket and go on to a life guarded by peace!