ON THE PORCH
CAST MY CARES
**“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
During a season of our lives that was necessary to stay close to home but also needing to get away to catch our breath, Benny and I discovered a tiny state park about 45 minutes from home called the Oasis. It has a tiny man-made lake to fish in and a trail to walk around the lake, and that’s about it. Seriously. That’s it. But this tiny park has since become our Oasis, and we love it.
When we got tired of walking the pups around the lake every trip, we decided to learn to fish. Well, to be honest, I learned how to cast and hold the pole. Benny baits my hooks and reels my line in when I end up with something on the other end. I enjoy casting and holding onto the pole, but my true joy is in watching Benny fish. His face lights up when he has a tug on his line and his bobber dips. I get excited and yank out my phone to video every single time to celebrate his catch, big or small.
While typing my Bible study notes the other morning, not only was 1 Peter 5:7 the key verse, but CAST stood out like a neon sign…
**“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7.
I’ve read that verse hundreds of times, and not once have I connected the dots…Jesus was talking about fishing. I probably missed that because I haven’t been interested in fishing until the last couple of years. But Jesus was from a fishing community, and Peter was a fisherman by trade. Casting was as familiar to them as breathing. They knew exactly what was being asked of them.
Other than watching Benny reel in “the big one,” casting is my favorite part of fishing. There is so much satisfaction in loosening the weight, launching the bobber out over the water, counting the rhythm in my head while watching it fly, then waiting until it lands. There is anticipation in the process. Without casting, there is no chance of catching a fish. Sometimes, I get impatient or tired of waiting, and I reel my line back in to check the bait. When I do, and it’s normally still there, still stinks, and I have to start the process over.
Isn’t life like that? I tend to let lots of things pile up in my head…insecurities, fears, doubts, anxiety, worries, concerns, cares of this world. They all end up in a big pile of yuck at my feet! I can either allow them to stay there and stink and rot, or I can bait and cast on Him. As I watch Benny bait our lines, I realize how messy the process is. It slimes and drips down his hands and the “yuck” is unavoidable. But once he is done, he bends down by the water and washes all the leftover residue off his hands then the true fishing begins.
When I bait my spiritual line with things I’m not intended to carry and cast my cares on Jesus, He takes care of every single one of them. He is in control, I am not. He knows what I need, I do not. He knows what lies ahead, I do not.
No matter how many times I cast, I inevitably reel some cares back in to try to take care of them myself. In those times, I eventually must cast again. Good thing for me that God doesn’t limit my number of cares, and He continues to allow me to cast on Him without a limit.
LORD, why this struck me now, I don’t know, except that I needed to connect the dots this time. I have let worries, cares, anxieties, and troubles pile up at my feet, and they are rotting and stink. Allow me to load these up, one by one, chunk the line, and watch them fly, making them Your responsibility. Give me patience to wait on You to take care of them the way You see fit, then accept whatever the outcome. Remind me that You love me more than I can imagine and always have my best at heart. I have taken up burdens that were never mine to carry and hoarded and hidden these worries and insecurities until I could figure out what to do with them. Give me the courage cast them on You, leave them in Your loving care, and pray for “Your will be done and Your very best.” Draw near as I then wait and anticipate. Amen
CAST MY CARES
Tim Timmons
ON THE PORCH 