By Lynda MacFarland

 

Untitled by Silvia & Frank via Pixabay.

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.  Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 

~ Philippians 4: 6-7 (NAB)

I get it. I cannot experience the peace of God, that peace that surpasses understanding if I hang on to my anxiety. Because that means I am not trusting  God. I am experiencing a fair amount of anxiety lately and it saddens me that I am not able to trust Him more.

I was told by a friend that, if we are worried about our children, we should just bring them back to God time after time until the worry lessens. And that it will lessen even if you find you’re lifting them up to Him every hour all day long. So that’s what I’m going to try to do with my current worry over some personal concerns.

I should not hold on tightly to my fears until my vise-like embrace leaves no room for light and peace. I will strive to embrace gratitude and give thanks for God’s love for me. Ultimately, my prayers for the abandonment of fear and worry will bring me closer to my God and trust Him again. I suppose I must be grateful to God even for my anxiety. It pushes me on toward Him and reminds me of His love for me. Even when I doubt, even when I’m fearful. I really do know, deep down inside, He’s there, loving me.

 

About the author:

Lynda MacFarland was an Army wife for 33 years. Author of the autobiography, “Drowning in Lemonade – Reflections of an Army Wife,” she also has a blog with the same title,  Drowning-In-Lemonade. Both address the role of her faith in dealing with the challenges of living an Army life and are intended as an encouragement to others.