Anxiety

When my children were pre-schoolers, I had them all in the van one day and my 4 year old said from the back of the van, "Mommy, does the Bible say not to worry?" I told her that it did, feeling very spiritual as I quoted: "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7

Then she said, "So does that mean that worrying is a sin?" That's when I stopped feeling so spiritual and realized that God had just used my 4 year old to point out my sin to me. I'm teaching a women's summer class and we're doing the book Respecatable Sins: Confronting the Sins we Tolerate. If you haven't read it, I strongly recommend it. But pull in your toes....he'll step all over them!

Today I'm reading about anxiety. Here I am, almost 20 years later, and I'm once again aware of my tendency to worry and my lack of trust in God to take care of me and the people I care about in every way.

God's timing is incredible. Michael is going through a very difficult time. Since school got out his behavioral issues have resurfaced and it seems that all of the progress he made this year has vanished. I have found myself feeling hopeless and wondering if we'll ever have him to a place of peace and being able to control himself. And selfishly I've wondered if I'll ever have a life that resembles normal at all! This chapter has been a very sweet reminder.

"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Don't worry about anything, tell God what you need, thank Him, then you will experience His peace.

I will experience His peace, not because He will do everything exactly the way I ask Him to in my prayers. But the asking and then thanking reminds me of how He has already been faithful to me and that I can trust Him to continue to be faithful.

I want the peace of God to guard my heart and my mind. But I have to choose to lay down my anxiety and trust that He is good and able to care for me!