Trying Not to Worry

Peace family, do you ever find yourself anxious?

For some reason, the last several days, I have been feeling nervous or anxious, but as far as I know, there isn’t anything specific that I am actively worrying about. I have had several stressful dreams, and have woken up almost every hour for several hours in a row during the night.  Not only that, but I suspect that the poor sleep is causing me to feel even more anxious. Do you ever get into that kind of rut? Although the more I think about it, it probably has something to do with the holidays, at least on some level.

I wanted to take some time this morning to realign my focus on God. There are many important things in life, and many things that are worthy of our concern, but I don’t want to be worrying about anything.

I also have a tendency to become kind of frenetic; even if other people can’t see it because I am still performing well, I might feel overwhelmed to such a point that my mind fails to register details. It’s like some kind of weird “flight or fight” mechanism. I try to work through problems, and pray, and be thankful (like Philippians 4:6-7), but it makes it where my mind can’t relax. Have you ever felt any of these ways?

Peace family, with my anxiety, when I really stop and think about it, something else has become more important than God. Worry is consuming, like an idol. When I worry, I am trying to be in control or I feel like God isn’t in control. On the other hand, I think concern is more submitted to God; you care but it’s not out of control.

Peace family, are you anxious today?

I know with the holidays coming up, we probably have a lot of concerns; things to clean and prepare, work to square away at our jobs, gifts to purchase, and even family or friend relationships that might have been difficult in the past. Good news: God is still God! If my carpet is covered with cat hair and bits of food, and the toilets are dirty, God is still God! If they run out of green beans at the store before I get there (green bean casserole is my favorite Thanksgiving dish), or the turkey is dry and burned, God is still God! If I make a mistake at work, or am given extra work on the spur of the moment, even if that frustrates or embarrasses me, God is still God. If I get into a confrontation with a relative who has deeply hurt me in the past, God is still God. If my teenager is making bad choices, God is still God. If I can’t find the gift that my child wanted for Christmas, or I can’t afford a Christmas tree, God is still God.

God is still God, and we honor him when we just let him be who he is and relinquish our lives to him. We honor him, when we remember that he is God, and bigger than all of our stresses. Peace family, may God’s hand be evident in your life today. May He comfort you and remind you that you don’t have to do it all; you just need to love him.