We have in front of our house a few wind spinners. They are colorful and stand around 5’ tall, moving in the slightest breeze in different directions. As I was praying about this week’s article and waiting on an answer, I was watching the wind spinners. One spinner has two wheels that turn, but I noticed that only one side spun freely in the breeze and the other side lamely rocked back and forth without ever completely catching the breeze. After a while I had to investigate. A month before, we had relocated the spinner from one area to another. In the move, we had laid the spinner on one side, never noticing that the side got bent out of shape in the process, causing it not to function as created.

As I was trying to bend the spinner back into position, I began to think about 1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon [Jesus], for He cares for you.” As I contemplated this, I thought, “If this spinner is out of shape, how can it catch the wind? It can’t. How can it function as it should? It can’t.” I thought about “casting” your cares upon Jesus!  Cast means to throw off or away, to get rid of, to discard. We are instructed literally to not hold onto cares that weigh us down, but to take them off and give them to Jesus. I love how The Passion Translation words this, “Pour out all your worries and stress upon him and leave them there, for he always tenderly cares for you.” It is okay to be concerned about things but not to be consumed with worry. When it changes your sleep patterns, your joy and patience, and negatively impacts everything around you, it is time to give it to Jesus. It’s like a T-shirt that Karen bought for me. It has a big red cross on the front and says, “I can’t— but I know a guy”. You can’t change your circumstances through worry, but I know a guy—Jesus. He can change things that you can’t, no matter how much you worry and stress about it!

Christian singer Chris Tomlin put it this way, “To cast your cares upon Jesus means to actively surrender your anxieties, worries, and burdens to Him, trusting that He is with you and will sustain you. This concept comes directly from 1 Peter 5:7, which reminds you that God cares for you deeply and intimately.” When worry, fear and stress get you bent out of shape, like our wind spinner, you too cannot function as God created you.

Jesus says in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” How can you hold onto the peace Jesus gives you if you are wringing your hands in worry and stress? You cannot. Years ago, I was going through some hard things, and I cried out to the Lord, “Why won’t You take this from me?” He answered, “I want to, but you need to let go of it first!” He was right. There was nothing He could do as long as I kept holding onto it tightly! So do as I did—I got before the Lord, lifted up my clenched fists and opened them up to Him, releasing the things that I couldn’t change. I encourage you, too, to cast your cares to Him and leave them there. Refuse to pick them up again and see what the Lord will do for you!

-by Emil Liko 6/5/26