I’m constantly amazed by how many times I can study the same passage of Scripture and still find some new insight. A few days ago I read I Peter 5:6-7

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all all your care upon Him for He cares for you”

which led to a somewhat obvious insight that never struck me before from that passage: 

Casting our cares on God requires humility because we need to first recognize our own inadequacy and insufficiency. 

It takes humility to cast your cares. If you’re relying on yourself (preaching to myself here), you won’t cast your cares because you think you can do it yourself. But speaking from personal experience, I frequently find I can’t do it myself - usually because God proves it to me. 

I felt butterflies in my stomach a week before the regional debate championship began. I knew I’d be facing tough competition and wanted to break to out-rounds more than almost anything. Trusting in my own hard work, I prepped and prepped. I had been to regionals before and had broken. I should be able to do the same thing again. 

Day one. I began to feel really funny during announcements and the morning devotional. I was pretty nervous, and my stomach began to feel very upset. I battled it until the end of announcements, then ran to the nearest restroom where I lost the little food that my anxious stomach had allowed me to eat for breakfast. As evidenced by comments on my ballots, my anxiety remained apparent the rest of the day. 

Day two. I barely ate anything for breakfast. The first round that day was one of the most humiliating experiences of my life. As if heaving in the bathroom wasn’t bad enough, I did it IN the round this time. I still wonder what the judge thought I was doing tucked under the table. 

God knew I was trying to serve my own pride in my own strength. A double error on my part. It took humiliation for me to see my sin. I was not giving the tournament, one of my biggest cares, over to God because of my prideful belief that “I could handle it” if I just worked hard enough.  

The night of the second day I remember talking to my dad. I told him that I never wanted to do anything in my own strength again. Have I? Yes. Is it ever worth it? Never. 

As God has shown me time and time again, it takes humility to trust Him with our cares. We cannot handle it. I cannot handle it. Striving in our own strength, bearing our burdens alone, may work for a time. But in the end, it’s always always better to simply obey Peter’s admonition. Humble yourself. Trust God’s leadership. Give your concerns to Him. After all, He cares for you deeply.