I was talking to a friend recently about worry. Actually and more specifically, we were talking about the "cares" of our work week and how when we begin to inadvertently pick up cares because of our work, we actually become weak. Meaning, when we start to carry cares, we start to worry more, which in turn steals our strength. It's a vicious cycle that God never meant for us to go through.

In fact, God tells us to cast, not carry, our burdens and cares unto Him. And if we are able to prayerfully and successfully do so, we then have the peace to become careless. That's right, it is a good thing to be careless, but please know that being "careless" is far from not caring. That may sound like an oxymoron, but it’s not as contradicting as it appears.  

In fact, when I take God at His Word, I am able to go through my day with not a care in the world because I have learned to cast ALL of my cares unto the Lord, for HE cares for me (I Peter 5:7).  So though I appear careless, I actually care about staying care-free, which motivates me to “care-shift” my worries to God. So, to care but not to care, that is the answer!  

On the opposite end, the old Matty was careless at times.  Not all of the time, but enough of the time I didn’t care enough to cast my cares unto the Lord. Or perhaps I cared so much about ‘what this person thought’ or ‘what that person did,’ that I “care-sifted.”  I picked and chose what to care about based on what the care was about!  Foolishly and immaturely, I often did care more, but my pride made me care-less. I hope that makes sense!

And now as we have come to the full circle of cares, I have merged these careless attitudes by care-shifting to God and allowing Him to sift all my cares. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I care so much that I don’t care. Who cares right?  Well, God does.  And that is where all of our cares need to go.  

“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (I Peter 5:7).