Overthinking

Oh boy, the title alone is exhausting, isn’t it? The act of thinking is exhausting sometimes. Overthinking is just uncalled for. There isn’t anything more that overthinking can accomplish that regular thinking can’t. I have always thought of overthinking in the context of today. We have so many things thrown at us all the time, so we have ample reason to believe we are missing something, which in turn causes us to overthink about anything we truly care about. I feel like the true testament to this being a problem with all of society is if we broadcast it on a t-shirt. The other day I was at the grocery store. A guy got out of his truck with a t-shirt on that said, “Hold on. I’ve gotta overthink about it.” Yep, it’s official, we have an issue nationwide with overthinking.

In the context of today, we overthink whether or not to have the barista put whipped cream in our coffee – are the calories worth it…is that organic whipped cream…it doesn’t melt, maybe it’s partially made of plastic… We overthink the emails we send…will this question ask what I am really asking…is my tone of voice too sharp…am I assertive enough while still being nice…should I just call this person instead of sending this email…gotta have that paper trail…but do I want this in writing if I don’t sound nice enough… Come on, I know I’m not the only one that overthinks this stuff. Maybe you aren’t plagued with this “disease,” but if you are, you are absolutely not alone as you can see here.

Truth be told, overthinking has been a thing always. I wonder if there is a hieroglyphic for that one. Look at this passage in Romans 3:

Romans 3 (NLT)

⁵“But,” some might say, “our sinfulness serves a good purpose, for it helps people see how righteous God is. Isn’t it unfair, then, for him to punish us?” (This is merely a human point of view.) ⁶ Of course not! If God were not entirely fair, how would he be qualified to judge the world? ⁷ “But,” someone might still argue, “how can God condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty highlights his truthfulness and brings him more glory?” ⁸ And some people even slander us by claiming that we say, “The more we sin, the better it is!” Those who say such things deserve to be condemned.

Thinking that our sin is something God should somehow be grateful for is not funny, but I find it hilarious that it is worth writing about in scripture. I also love the call out for the “merely human point of view.” Yep, only humans think this hard about stuff. We have to turn everything into something it isn’t so that later we can discover how simple it was and find the simplicity profound. Reasoning is a great skill, but not when it takes you so far that it corrupts you into thinking something as ridiculous as “the more we sin, the better…”

Later on in this chapter of Romans, God has to unravel this for us, so we stop overthinking this and get it right:

Romans 3 (NLT)

²³ For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. ²⁴ Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. ²⁵ For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, ²⁶ for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

²⁷ Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. ²⁸ So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.

²⁹ After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. ³⁰ There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.^{[j] 31} Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.

I love how just as God makes this extremely clear, we start questioning again…sounding something like, “ok, so you say I have to just have faith and I’m good? So then what am I following the law for?” Do you think God has a wall to bang his head against? I am sure that the “Of course not!” response (love the exclamation mark) is the nicest possible way He could put that.

So what should we do with our overthinking selves, especially now knowing how deeply it seems to be engraved in our history?

I’m so sorry, did you think I had the answer there? I don’t. In fact, I am reading my blog over and over hoping the answer comes off the screen. How about this, I’m gonna go with what God says. He is always right after all.

First, he reminds us that we all fall short, so stop worrying so much about missing stuff. We are always going to miss something. God told us we wouldn’t always get it right, so let’s stop trying to prove Him wrong. Keep trying to get it right, but don’t overthink yourself into being wrong. Second, God makes us right. My personal, untrained, and unqualified opinion is that overthinking is a product of uncertainty, denial, and fear. God, through His love and pardon has made us right. Jesus, through His sacrifice has made us forgivable. So if we are right and forgivable, what are we overthinking about? I wish I had a slow southern accent…it would sound better if you read that last sentence with a little twang for oomph.

Here is the final thought I am leaving you with. We are asked to follow, to love, and to forgive because we are led, we are loved, and we are forgiven. If we do our best to follow, love, and forgive through and by faith, there is absolutely no issue that we need to overthink or overanalyze. Faith means we actively trust God to lead us to where He needs to position us. Whether you’re thinking about your next sandal choice or eternity, there is a simple answer – don’t overthink it.