Authentic Life Update: Overthinking and Trusting God

I’m going to take a quick break from the “Fruits of the Spirit” series to give you all an authentic update on my life. When I started this blog, I called it Authentic Faith because my goal was to give people an honest look in the life of someone who is trying their best to follow the Lord and His commandments. Part of this meant being vulnerable, which I found to be the most crucial part of the process. I love writing for my blog, because not only does it encourage other people, but it forces me to get in my Bible and to dig deeper into what it says. Studying different topics gives me the opportunity to learn more and to find out what the Lord’s plan for me is.

The reason that I want to take a quick step away from all that, though, is because I feel that being open with my struggles is so important as a Christian. I don’t want anyone to get the impression that just because I have this platform, that I find myself to be better, more qualified, or “more Christian” than anyone else. My hope for this is to show you guys that I’m struggling with a lot of things, and hopefully me being open with these struggles and sharing what I’ve learned/still have to learn will be an encouragement to you guys.

My journey with overthinking

My whole life, I never really considered myself an anxious person; I had a plan for everything and things always worked out for me in the end without much hassle. In the last month or so, though, I found a whole new perspective on worrying when I started overthinking.

This is something that crept up on me, and I didn’t really see it coming. All of a sudden, I started getting thoughts of “I’m not good enough to them”, “They don’t actually care about me”, and “I’m really just a burden to them”. I had little to no actual proof that this was true , but I began to convince myself that any little word, text, or action was the people close to me showing that they were faking any cares they had for me. I’m not going to lie, it’s kind of scary, because it felt like my mind was under attack. I knew that these were all lies, because the Bible says that through God, I am enough, I am loved, and I have been made clean. However, this didn’t stop me from being surrounded and overwhelmed over these statements that should not have had any power in my life. It gets so far sometimes that I come up with impossible scenarios in which people are avoiding telling me that I annoy them and am a burden to them.

For a while, I was doubting my own abilities and identity because of this. If I didn’t think anybody wanted to invest in a relationship with me, then there must be something wrong with me, right? I would get hard on myself, even more than I usually do, setting higher and higher standards for myself.

Even though I’ve been making progress in the last week or so with this, it’s still something I deal with every day. Some days are better than others, which is okay, because progress never looks like a straight line. One thing that I’ve been improving on is separating lies from truth, and being able to counter the lies in my head with scriptural truths.

One of the biggest lies that I’ve had to confront lately is that “nobody cares about me”. The best way that I can counter these lies so that it keeps my eyes fixed on what is good is by taking Scripture to refute it. 1 Peter 5:6-9 says, “humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” How cool is that? He cares for you. Often, we want nothing more than to talk to people about what we are struggling with, and for them to earnestly listen and be there for us. We have direct access to the One who not only made us, but also cares for us sooooo much! In addition, there are a lot of people in your life that really care about you and want to help you become closer to God and grow in yourself. I have so many friends, leaders, and mentors that I know are praying for me, celebrating my victories, and supporting me when I’m struggling. Even if you don’t think that there is a single person in your life that cares, I think you would be surprised to learn how many people are rooting for you from the sidelines.

That’s just one example, but there’s a lot more. Whenever you start to believe things that you know are lies, start searching for Scripture that will tell you the truth and remind you of your identity in Christ Jesus.

How to counter overthinking?

Overthinking is a form of worrying, which demonstrates a lack of trust in God. Therefore, if you want to counter your overthinking, you’ve got to trust God! It took me a long amount of struggling with my overthinking to realize that the root of it was my total lack of trust in God. I became reliant on my own abilities, and even the expectations that I had set for other people in my life. These things are going to fail you over time, and I didn’t realize it until it was too late. The only things you should be putting your trust in are things that last forever and are consistent, and as far as I’m aware, God is the only thing that checks these boxes. “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” (Psalm 56:3). This is a chunk from my favorite Bible passage, because it’s gotten me through a lot of rough spots in my life, and it always refocuses me on God and to trust in Him in everything I do.

The most effective way that I have found to put my trust in God is through prayer. When I’m struggling with putting my trust in other things, I’ll pray to God and ask Him for help in putting my trust in Him. I’m still not totally confident in what this looks like in practical things, like my day-to-day life, but I often start with trusting Him in little things, such as an assignment. I’ll work hard to study for a test or learn a concept in school, and trust that He will give me patience with myself to learn and perform well. Once I do well in trusting God with little things, I can slowly trust God with more and more of my life. I would love to say that I can trust Him with every aspect of my life, but in all vulnerability, I’m still struggling with making small steps. That’s okay, though, because quick, large changes are unrealistic.

Another way that I have learned to combat my overthinking is by having an eternal mindset. This is something I cannot stress enough, because it is a great way of reorganizing your priorities and what you value in life. “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:1-3). If you are saved, your whole life should be a build up to the time when you can spend eternity in heaven. To spend your whole time on earth worried about earthly things is honestly pointless, and doesn’t bring any gain.

A lot of overthinking is based on worldly things, such as possessions and even relationships with people. Even though some friendships can be amazing and help you grow closer to God, a lot of friendships aren’t helping you spiritually, and worrying about them does nothing to grow the kingdom of God. So, if you prioritize the things above, and make the most important thing in your life God, then your overthinking will go down dramatically. This is because the Lord is consistent and everlasting, so there is complete confidence in Him.

The biggest thing that I can recommend if you are struggling with overthinking is to ask for help. This is really hard, because at least for me, I struggled with thoughts that nobody cared about me. I started by writing a text, explaining what I was struggling with, and that I needed help to get over it. Then, I went to a mentor that I really trust and sent it to her. I was really worried about what her response was going to be, but when she came to me with nothing but love and support, it really helped me to overcome some of the thoughts that were in my brain.

Obviously, I hope that this isn’t something that you’re struggling with, but I know that realistically, I am not alone in struggling with these things. I hope my vulnerability helps you know that you’re not alone in this, and that there are people that care for you. I would encourage you to reach out to people in your life about this, so that you can have support, and to spend time in prayer with God. It makes all the difference! If you don’t know who you trust, or are worried about not having people in your life that are willing to be with you for the hard parts of your life, I hope it is a relief to know that you can reach out to me, and I would be more than happy to be a part of your life and to help you.