Sometimes I do.
One of my favorite scriptures with regard to this is in Philippians 4:4-7. I'm especially partial to the way it reads in The Message paraphrase:
4-5 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
6-7 Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
I benefit greatly from renewing my mind by thinking on this scripture when I'm tempted to worry and stress. I've recently found another thing that helps - keeping a "Worry Box". I got the idea from one of the characters in the book series The Sister Circle. The idea is that whenever you have one of those life issues that's really bothering you, as you're giving it over to God you write it down briefly on a piece of paper and put it into your "worry box".
For some reason, this act of writing it down and placing it in the box is helpful for me, somehow seeing that I'm giving it to God creates more of a completed feeling inside. Perhaps I'm just one of those people who finds visuals helpful.
I have a friend Paula who gave me a beautiful butterfly jeweled box that I keep my "worries" in on my dresser. It's actually been kind of exciting lately as God's given me insights into things that are motivating and causing problems for some of the people in my life, to be able to pray for them and place my concerns for them into the box as well.
What about you, are there some ways God's been helping you deal with your life stresses lately?
6 comments:
I heard about the worry box in the 70's. My mom had one - mine was booze - my name was in hers.
There is little for me to worry about - my stresses are in trying to uncomplicate my life.
Jesus said don't worry about tomorrow - I don't. I am concentrating on inner healing, focusing on Him, and I have been asking for prayer whenever I am with real Christians that pray.
I'm making progress. If one were to look at my life, they'd be amazed at how much peace I really have in the face of some difficult things.
That's what I love about Jesus.
I know he's there but during some periods there's just too much haze and too much noise and that blocks him from me.
But still it is the knowing that he is there that keeps me away from that extreme boundary of chaos - the line beyond cope-ability.
For all our needs, He is the Greatest Provider.
For our sicknesses, He is our Greatest Healer.
For our weaknesses, He is our strength.
Despite the circumstances, He is the Source of joy.
He came to die, so we can live...
I can go on and on. If we learn to trust in Jesus and take to heart His Word, then we really don't need to be "anxious" for "anything"....Have a great weekend sister Tracy. God bless.
I am worried in case my Worry Box is too small and I can't cram any more worries in it. Or what if I misplace it? And then I won't know where to put my new worries? Get another bigger Box perhaps? Oh dear ... the worries ... worrying about worries.
And I sometimes worry that I don't have anything to worry about. What if there's something I should be worrying about and I forgot to worry about it? Now that's really worrying!
Seriously though ...
When I have troubles on my mind I look back at all the times in my life when I was in real trouble ... and He was there. Even though I didn't realise it at the time.
God bless you Tracy.
P.S. Never worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow has already happened in Australia.
Someone once told me, "All the worrying in the world is not going to change the outcome". And he was right.
David-It always encourages me as a mom when someone shares that they went astray, that their mom was praying, and that now they are living for the Lord. The peace God gives never ceases to amaze me.
Being Me - Sometimes I've felt like my prayers were hitting the ceiling and going no further. There have been times I've felt disconnected from God. I'm glad that the Bible tells me that no matter what I feel, He never stops loving me and continues to have a plan for my life.
Rcubes - Our God is just SO good!
Victor - You're so funny! I'll have to remember that tomorrow has already happened in Australia, an interesting thought...
JD - The older I get the more I understand your statement. The more I see the truth in that old Abraham Lincoln quote about a man being just about as happy has he chooses to be.
Post a Comment