Would you consider yourself a worrier? Do you constantly think, "What if...?" What if the kids get hurt? What if the airplane crashes? What if I loose my job? I use to think that I wasn't a worrier, and when it comes to most things I'm really not. I don't worry about getting into a car crash, or that I might get cancer. I don't worry that my kids are playing with friends down the street and my get hurt. I have a few friends who worry about EVERYTHING!
Don't take a shower in a thunder storm; never stand under a ceiling fan; and make sure you have one of those glass breaking hammers, just in case you drive off a bridge and can't get your door open....I mean really, who thinks about stuff like that?
So, what do I worry about? What are my "what ifs?" What if I fail? What if they don't like me? What if I say the wrong thing? What if they are judging me? What if I am really not a good friend? What if I'm not a good mom? I think the word insecure defines me fairly well. We all have what ifs in one form or another.
Do you know what the opposite of worry is? PEACE. It's such a wonderful sounding word. Peace is a sense of security. It's when you trust that God has got everything under control. It's hard to imagine sometimes. So, how can I give God my "what ifs" in exchange for His peace?
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 NLT
Sounds pretty simple. What do you need? Ask God for it. I need to stop looking for and needing the approval of people. I need to remember that I am accepted and loved by God, no matter what. I need to stop worrying and start praying.
I love that God's peace is more than we can understand. It's the kind of peace that doesn't make sense. There are times when things around us will be crazy, our circumstances will be a mess, but God gives us a peace that makes others look at us and say, "Why are you so calm? Why aren't you freaking out right now?!" He guards our hearts and our minds. Think about that for a sec. What goes on when you worry? You start thinking crazy thoughts and feeling crazy emotions. Your MIND and your HEART get all worked up and out of whack. But God's peace will guard our hearts and our minds so that doesn't happen. Trusting in God is the cure to worry. So, instead of saying "what if" I need to start taking steps of faith. Trusting that God will be there to hold me up, and hold me close.
Don't take a shower in a thunder storm; never stand under a ceiling fan; and make sure you have one of those glass breaking hammers, just in case you drive off a bridge and can't get your door open....I mean really, who thinks about stuff like that?
So, what do I worry about? What are my "what ifs?" What if I fail? What if they don't like me? What if I say the wrong thing? What if they are judging me? What if I am really not a good friend? What if I'm not a good mom? I think the word insecure defines me fairly well. We all have what ifs in one form or another.
Do you know what the opposite of worry is? PEACE. It's such a wonderful sounding word. Peace is a sense of security. It's when you trust that God has got everything under control. It's hard to imagine sometimes. So, how can I give God my "what ifs" in exchange for His peace?
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 NLT
Sounds pretty simple. What do you need? Ask God for it. I need to stop looking for and needing the approval of people. I need to remember that I am accepted and loved by God, no matter what. I need to stop worrying and start praying.
I love that God's peace is more than we can understand. It's the kind of peace that doesn't make sense. There are times when things around us will be crazy, our circumstances will be a mess, but God gives us a peace that makes others look at us and say, "Why are you so calm? Why aren't you freaking out right now?!" He guards our hearts and our minds. Think about that for a sec. What goes on when you worry? You start thinking crazy thoughts and feeling crazy emotions. Your MIND and your HEART get all worked up and out of whack. But God's peace will guard our hearts and our minds so that doesn't happen. Trusting in God is the cure to worry. So, instead of saying "what if" I need to start taking steps of faith. Trusting that God will be there to hold me up, and hold me close.