The other shoe dropping

 1 Peter 5:5-11

5 In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,

“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”[a]

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

There's a common idiom within the American language "I am just waiting for the other shoe to drop."

The idiom expresses the idea that, while I am happy now, I am expecting something of the negative to come along to "balance" out the good. 

This, while being wrong thinking, nevertheless expresses some emotions. For one, the idea that the world is built on balance. The idea that in order for me to have anything good, there must be some bad involved somewhere too. It also implies that good and bad are handed out in equal measure. What is interesting to me is just how many Christians believe this. I have believed it at times; though, not outwardly expressed, it was a feeling that always was there. "Why would God bless me? What have I done that earned that?" This whole concept that we as people need to earn salvation is a deeply rooted RELIGIOUS notion that the enemy uses to catch us off guard. John 3:16 says that God loved the world enough to give Jesus as a cleansing sacrifice for all time. Once we are "born again" we have the opportunity to shed the old life and put on the new life. Jesus explains to Nicodemous that he must be born again. His response was "how can man be born a second time?" When we accept Jesus we are born-again into lots of things, but most especially, a life free from condemnation, sin, and guilt. That's an amazing gift right? What happens when the other shoe drops? 

The point I am trying to make here is that if we walk around always expecting the other shoe to drop, instead of constantly seeking to do the will of God, we will either interpret everything that happens to us as "God's judgement" or "the other shoe dropping." 

The thing is, this whole concept is rooted in Eastern mysticism. One of the major things that walking in this thinking can do is cause Anxiety to build up. You may live and feel good and then all of a sudden, an unexplainable sense of trepidation comes over you. You have no rationale behind why you feel the way you do, it just happens. 

Peter talks about this in 1 Peter 5:6-7 He says we need to humble ourselves and realize that God will lift us up. Then along with that, we must allow God to take control of EVERY Anxious thought and remember that HE is the one that cares for us. The way we avoid this trap is also in this scripture. "Be alert and of sober mind"(v.8) Understanding that our enemy is crafty and will try to get us multiple ways is a way to avoid it.