Watching -- Part II

In our last post, we looked at the importance of watchfulness. The question arises, "Can we ever become too watchful?"

Well, watchfulness can go awry if it arises from fear or pride, rather than from trust. Here are some signs that we have crossed the line from healthy attentiveness to hyper-vigilance: We can't relax. We worry. When ill, we can't let go of the reins long enough to rest. We secretly doubt that anyone else can perform or supervise a particular endeavor as well as we can. We find it hard to delegate tasks to others. We don't trust our husband's leadership. We over-protect our children. We fret about our health and the health of our loved ones. We are always on guard lest someone hurt us. We extend our watchfulness into areas that are neither our responsibility nor our business. We are quick to see flaws and problems and slow to see the postive. We beat ourselves up for our failings. We are uneasy whenever life isn't "perfect", which means that we are uneasy a good deal of the time!

What do symptoms like these tell us? Somewhere, there is a breach in our trust level that must be repaired. At least in some area, we are depending on our own selves and not on the One who watches over us. Yes, He commands us to be watchful, and this is for our good. However, we must remind ourselves that we exercise this watchfulness underneath His perfect oversight. He promises that if we acknowledge Him in all of our ways, He will direct our steps. "He is our keeper." He "neither slumbers nor sleeps". He builds the house. He guards the city. He grants sleep to those He loves.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth