REMOVING THE WORRY WARTS

As a mom of a child with intense special needs, I {Ginny} worry a lot.  So many worries stream through my mind every day. 

Will she be accepted by other kids?  Will she be able to live a happy life?  Will she be accepted into the program I know she needs?  Are we doing the right thing for her with each choice we make? Does she know that we love her without condition?

But my worries don’t end there.  I worry about things in other areas of my life – the ministry I work for, my blogging, my mothering.  I spend so much time wondering if I am doing ok as a mother.  I worry about if I am going to get enough volunteers in the ministry I lead.  I worry about what I am going to blog about.  I worry. I worry.  I worry.

Lately, God has been really speaking to me in this area.  Between VBS, Bible study, a recent leadership meeting, and even Pinterest (!), a common theme keeps emerging:  That I shouldn’t worry about ANYTHING, but I need to bring my worries to God.

Elisabeth Elliot, in her book A Quiet Heart, wrote about ways that we can FORFEIT our peace.  A few of those are “Worry as much as possible,” “Pray only about things you can’t manage by yourself,” and “Carry all your cares.” 

BAM

I realized that one of the reasons I don’t feel at peace is that I am doing the exact opposite of what God is asking me to do. 

 In Philippians 4:4, it says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

God is telling us in His Word that He doesn’t want us to be anxious about anything.

My daughters’ futures? – In God’s hands
The volunteers for the ministry? – God will provide
Topics for the blog?  - God will provide them

He tells us to pray to Him in EVERY situation.  This is difficult for me because sometimes I just want to go to Him when I am desperate, but He wants me to come to him with EVERYTHING, not just the things I can’t manage by myself.  He wants me to come to Him with the small and the large things.   I need to be in talks with Him all day - when I am upset, when I am happy, when I am grateful, when I just want to talk, when I start to worry, etc.  Then it won’t be the last thing on my mind when I start to worry.  I will already be in the habit of talking to Him all the time.

Finally, I need to come to Him with thanksgiving.  I find that hard to do when I am in the midst of discussions with therapists, doctors, and my daughter’s school, and they just give me more to want to worry about!  Instead, I need to be thankful for these amazing people God placed in my family’s life to help us.  I need to be thankful that we are making progress each day.  With my thanksgiving, it will be harder to fall in the dangerous pit of despair and worry. I can focus on the amazing things God is doing in my life, and when I do that, I may take notice of things I didn’t even realize He was doing until I look for them.

My challenge for you, dear sisters in Christ, is to memorize Philippians 4:6, write it on your mirror, and then LIVE it.  And remember the three challenges within the verse:

·         Don’t be anxious about anything
·         Pray to God in every situation
·         Come to Him with thanksgiving

We don’t HAVE to worry.  God’s got this!  We CHOOSE to worry.  We CHOOSE to try to navigate situations on our own.

Let’s make the choice God is asking us to make.  Let’s CHOOSE to lift everything to God.  Let’s CHOOSE to throw worries away and trust that He’s in control.  Let’s CHOOSE to give Him thanks for all He has done and is doing in our lives.  Let’s CHOOSE freedom!

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