Keep Your Peace

I had this saying hanging over my desk at work to remind me 

so many things I worried about were not worth 

my energy or the peace I lost.

So often the things I worry about never happen. 

By worrying I miss the blessing of now.

I pray this year is less worry and more peace.

 

Don't Worry

Luke 12:22-25
Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

We can worry something or worry about something.

The dictionary says worry is used two ways. Snapping, biting, and tearing particularly at the throat or mental distress, anxiety, pondering on something that might or might not happen.

From the definitions I read, it sounds like the act of worrying could go either way. The tearing at the throat is pictured as a terrier going after a rat, but sometimes I feel like worry tears at me, not just mentally, but physically, too. Worry has a way of beating a person down.

Jesus, in his great wisdom, knew worry was an enemy. He taught his disciples not to be anxious about what was to come. Imagine being Jesus’ followers. They had to sense danger with so many people against Jesus.

But in his way of teaching, he assured them God would take care of them. He provides for the ravens, of course he’d take care of his followers.

Worrying adds nothing to our lives. As we’ve found with modern medicine, stressing about life contributes to high blood pressure and anxiety. Yet in our society, worry has almost become an obsession. Jesus wants me to spend my energy on my faith and the way I treat others, instead of fretting over things I have no control over. He wants me to use my time loving him and loving people, and the rest will fall into place.

To keep worry from strangling me, I’ve learned to turn my thoughts to Jesus, and if I wait most issues work themselves out. As I’m a work in progress—prayer and time spent in the Bible help me balance my worry with trust. Instead of imagining all the terrible scenarios that could happen, I accept God’s providence and pray my faith outshines my worries.

Cast your cares on Jesus because he cares for you.

Anxiety is a Beast

Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

“Life is better when you cry a little, laugh a lot, and are thankful for everything you’ve got.”

As one who lives with anxiety, I cling to Philippians 4:6.

When I look back over my life, anxiety raised its hand way too often. In school, I was the kid who wanted to hide when we read aloud in class. I’d just as soon fade into the brick wall as wait to be called on for the kickball team. I wasn’t just shy (although I was shy) I was terrified of attention.

That was my anxiety. The beast has a unique way of manifesting itself in all of us. Most of us feel anxious in certain situations due to stress. Some anxiety is normal.

As an adult, my anxiety reared its head as panic attacks. In my forties, I returned to college to finish my Bachelor’s degree, but I absorbed more information, at one time, than my brain could handle. To get technical—the serotonin didn’t hang out long enough for the process. The doctor figured out the problem and recommended medication. To me the meds are no different than if I was diabetic and had to take insulin. I need them.

But along with the medication, I have another healer in my pocket. Prayer. When I seek God’s attention and pour out all that I’m thankful for—the anxiety dissipates. Yes, I cry and laugh. Laughter is wonderful, tears sometimes help, but the best antidote for anxiety is gratitude. I can sit and talk to my heavenly Father about all the wonders of spring. As I observe my flowers, I say thank you. When I think of my loved ones, I pray thanks. When I consider Jesus’ sacrifice for me, I bow in appreciation.

God created the science behind the meds which help my anxiety, and he’s given me joy and peace in place of fear.

Replace anxiety with gratitude.

Click to tweet: Anxiety is a Beast

Palms up...Let Go

Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

My flower bed looked kind of pitiful.

The black-eyed Susan's blossoms had dropped and their leaves had turned reddish brown like some of the autumn trees. The wind had knocked them down for the count. My lavender plants stretched until they looked lanky and the woody under part showed. The blazing stars' heads looked more like cattails than purple flowers. My zinnias were the only plants hanging on to summer.

I could wait for the first frost to kill more foliage or I could start the process of cutting the plants back. With clippers in hand I attacked the lavender. A lovely scent filled my nose as I snipped the branches. With just two plants, the trimming took minutes. But what a difference the pruning would make for spring growth.

Sometimes life mirrors a flower garden. I plant, fertilize, water, and prune my flowers, and God waters, prunes, and encourages growth. Sometimes I need more than a trim. Old habits, like worry, need chopped out to allow for more positive behavior. Worry produces about as much good as a gangly plant that languishes and flops in the garden. While some plants survive and even flourish with a quick trim, others like the black-eyed Susan and blazing star must be cut to the ground in order to grow the following spring.

Paul calls us to pray instead of worry. Our heavenly father asks us to talk to him instead of keeping our concerns balled up inside or wringing our hands with frustration.

I sat on my porch the other day and tried something I'd read about, but not done. I opened my hands, palms up, and held them in front of me. Then I prayed. This small gesture of letting go of my requests brought me peace as I spoke to my Father in heaven. Worry steals the peace that encourages my faith. God listens. He loves to hear from us.

Pray instead of worry. God's peace guards the most vulnerable parts of our being.

Worry or Pray

I'm not sure why it is so much easier to worry than pray.

When I worry, I tend to imagine the most ridiculous outcomes.

When I pray, I place those worries in the hands of the one who created me,

the only one who can give me peace.

Repeat after me-pray instead of worry.

Not easy, but so much better!

 

Why Worry?

The Muck of Worry

Matthew 6:34

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

When I was a young teen, I nearly drowned. I was swimming with my friends in their pond and I felt like I was pulled under. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't push myself up. Fortunately, my friend noticed and one of her brothers caught hold of me and tugged me out of the water. I don't know if my foot got trapped in the muck at the bottom or if a whirlpool caught me, but I was sinking with little hope of swimming my way out. Lately, I've had that overwhelming feeling that I'm caught at the bottom of a pond, struggling to swim to the top. That's what worry does.

Worry causes me to take my eyes off of the one who calms my soul. I'm not anxious about money, or my health. I'm not as anxious as I used to be about our kids. Although, I can still work up a good worry about them. But the one area that makes my anxiety go up, like the mercury in a  thermometer on a ninety-degree day, is my grandchildren. With Facebook, Twitter, newspapers and the news, I read way too much bad news. So far this summer I've read probably fifteen different stories about how bad ticks and mosquitoes will be this summer and the diseases they carry. People have posted lots of articles on water safety/tragedies. Then there are the other stories that I hate to even mention, that involve children. Please understand, I take all of this seriously, but I shouldn't let it terrify me.

Instead I should take my concerns to the one I trust the most. The God of all creation, who made the universe and counted every silver hair on my head. Our children and grandchildren are growing up in trying times. One tragedy after another. And all I want to do is protect them all. But that's not my job. No, my job is to pray. To ask God to watch after the little ones, and not so little ones. To seek God's guidance as I share life with them. Instead of spending time drowning in the depths of worry, I hit my knees and asked forgiveness for not trusting the one who holds my heart and the hands of our grandchildren. They are a valuable treasure, God has given me. Instead of worrying I want to spend my time encouraging them and teaching them about the hope I have in the Lord.

Worry is a pariah that results in paralyzing fear. Instead of worrying—pray and trust God.

Incredible Beauty

My friend, Wendy, posed a question on Facebook last week. "What part of nature reminds you that you're cared for [by God]?" I sent back my reply after a few minutes.

Truth be told, most everything about nature reminds me of how much God loves me.  I sit on my back porch and see how he takes care of the birds, such amazing, aerodynamic, little creatures. In the woods, I see the trees that tower over me. I admire their photosynthetic system that guides them through the seasons. At the beach I watch the tide roll in and out due to the gravitational pull from the sun and moon. I could go on because so much of our amazing earth, the place God created for us to live, reminds me how much God cares.

So what part of nature reminds me how much God is concerned about me? 

Flowers and butterflies. 

I could watch butterflies all day, as they flit from lavender to roses to daisies. When flowers spring from the ground, I can't wait to see them grow and bloom. 

Both have an incredible beauty for which only God could be responsible. Both depend on each other. Both rely on other parts of creation, like rain and sun. Both bring me peace. When I see a butterfly in the flowers, I feel like I've found a treasure.

Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these." -Matthew 6:27-29

How about you? What part of nature reminds you that you are cared for? 

Oh, to be a Bird

Matthew 6:25-27
 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"

The gold finches and house finches visit the feeder beside our porch. We hung it at the beginning of spring and have been blessed with fluttery visitors ever since. After work, I often sit in my Adirondack chair, camera in hand, hoping to catch a photo of these sweet beauties. If you're a fan of gold finches, you've noticed that the male bird's feathers dull with winter. This mechanism of molting hides him from predators. With spring, his plumage returns to a bright yellow to attract his mate. I am amazed how God takes care of the tiniest details of his creation.

Finches love to eat thistle and milkweed. Even though I enjoy having them at my feeder, they don't depend on me for food. God takes care of them. He supplies their need. How much more does he do for me? And why do I worry? I read the other day that worry causes stress and anxiety, but concern results in action/prayer. Worry blows circumstances up to ridiculous proportion. While prayer offers peace and guidance. Jesus is telling us to stop worrying about the basics and keep our minds on the spiritual. Eat what we have, wear what we have and be more concerned about our souls. Feed on spiritual food and grow in him. Praise God he values us!

Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.