Greetings from the Pacific Northwest! We just got back from camping this weekend near Lake Cushman and I loved exploring the Glory of God’s Creation. Friends, family, hiking, and campfires…heaven on earth to me.
Yesterday was my husband, Steve’s, birthday!! Happy birthday to one of THE greatest blessings God has ever given me! 🙂
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The month of June can be full of changes. High School and college graduations. Grade-level changes for elementary, middle, and high school kids. Career changes and relocations often occur during the summer months.
What is often a very close cousin to change? Yup, you guessed it: anxiety. At least it has been for me. There is one scripture I meditate on quite frequently when I feel this way:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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” (Philippians 4: 6-7).
God’s peace is the opposite of human anxiety. Godly prayer takes the focus off the difficulty of the situation and puts it on the Power of God.
Also, when we commit our troubles and concerns to God in prayer, His peace will stand guard at the door of our hearts and minds, preventing the cares, worries, and heartaches of life from troubling our lives and robbing us of our hope (Fire Bible Commentary, page 2283).
I like to think of it this way: I can choose to meditate on my problem or God. One will drag me down and keep my focus on me and my solutions to the problem. The other choice, God, will lift my spirit up, bring me joy, and strengthen me to do His desires.
The one I feed the most, will grow the most.
Several people I know, right now, are on the cusp of many changes that are college, career, and school-related. As a mom, aunt, and friend it is easy for me to take on too much “worry,” even for those I care about, and not rest in the One Who knows the best next step on the path for each one.
I make a choice, each day, and as needed, to stay hyper-aware of how I feel and get right back on track with God when I feel anxiety creeping in and trying to get a foothold. It takes practice but gets easier each time.
I have also begun really stepping out in faith and entrusting that person or situation to God. Sheila Walsh illustrates this process perfectly in, “A Fresh Infusion of Joy”:
“Stop for a moment and think about the person you’ve been most anxious about.
What if you really entrusted that person to God, believing that His care is perfect? Imagine how that would open up space in your heart for joy…the joy of anticipating God’s good work in the lives of those you love and the joy of what His good work will mean for them. I don’t think that kind of focus on God’s faithfulness and great love would leave any room for worry, do you?
The people we love on our God’s schedule, not ours, and He is good and powerful. He is faithful and true. So may we release them into God’s loving hands, remembering that’s the safest place in the world for them.”
Make the choice today to drink from the Living waters of Jesus, and never be thirsty again. Only Christ can fill our empty souls for eternity and provide for our essential emotional, physical, and spiritual needs now.
So, what are you mediating on: your problem/situation or Jesus? The one you focus on the most is going to dominate your life. Choose wisely and for eternity.
All the Glory to God,
Shanon
Fire Bible: Global Study Edition. New International Version. Life Publishers International. 2009. Print.
Image of Isaiah 12:3 by Spirit 105.3 Daily verse.
Walsh, Sheila, and Sherri Craig. “5 minutes with Jesus: A Fresh Infusion of Joy.” Thomas Nelson Publishing. 2016. Print.
Heaven Sent Sentiments 