Thursday Thoughts

It's hard for me to admit openly but lately I have been suffering from anxiety. Unless you've ever experienced it before, I think it's hard to understand just how terrible it is. It's something you cannot control in the moment but I have been working very hard to manage it and not let it consume my happy life. 

I've mentioned before on this blog that I receive daily devotional emails {Proverbs 31 Ministries}. The five minutes I take to read it, is by far the most favorite part of my day. Yesterdays devotional really touched me and reminded me that when I start to feel worried or stressed, I need to hand those thoughts over to my Faithful Father. Whether you suffer from anxiety or not, we all have the occasional stressers in life and I think everyone can relate to the below devotional...

APRIL 29, 2015

How to Sleep Worry Free

AMY CARROLL

"But Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’" Luke 18:16 (NIV)

A friend looked deep into my eyes and asked, "What do you miss about being a child?"

In the middle of playing a silly game of questions with a group, the room faded away and memories of my childhood popped into my mind like bubbles surfacing from deep waters.

Playing with my brother in our treehouse.

Fun Fridays with my favorite teacher at school.

Riding my banana-seat bike down the street with friends.

Most precious … moments snuggled between my parents while our family read together at night.

Although it sounds idyllic, it wasn’t perfect. Just like I’m an imperfect parent, my parents weren’t perfect either. But as a child I felt loved, encouraged and most importantly, safe and carefree. As I longed for the feeling of safety that blanketed my childhood, I looked at my friend and answered, "I miss having no worries."

Being an adult is fraught with pits of peril — financial shortfalls, job instability, parenting challenges, marriage conflict and the general stress of being responsible for yourself and others. For me, childhood was free of all those things. But that day, as I faced my friend’s question, adulthood felt like a heavy weight.

The next day as I sat in the quiet of early morning, God whispered a single word into my heart … trust. He gently showed me the weight of adulthood I had shouldered. He nudged me to consider the hours I’d spent awake staring into the dark ruminating, with no resolution. He refreshed the sense of deep longing I’d felt the day before when I’d expressed my desire for childhood. The good old days of no worries.

And He called me back.

Trust is the mark of a child. Of course I had little girl concerns when I was young, but why didn’t I feel the weight of worry? It was because I trusted my parents. They took the weight of responsibility to shelter me — allowing me to feel safe and worry-free.

Although not all parents do this well, protecting our children from adult problems is still part of a parent’s job description.

The funny thing is my trust was partially based on illusion. As parents, my husband and I have tried to do exactly what my parents did for me. We don’t tell our kids about adult problems because we don’t want them to worry about things they can’t fix.

It’s not that we don’t have problems or that we’re completely in control. The truth is, we’re not in control. But there’s good news for those who are faking control while lying awake at night and for those who have never felt safe.

God is a Father who is entirely trustworthy because He is truly in control.

As God’s children, we have a heavenly Father who is worthy of trust. All our obsessive worry over our responsibilities and concerns doesn't change a thing, so let’s resolve to try something different. Let’s give up our illusion of control and rest peacefully like children in Jesus’ unfailing care.

Now, instead of letting worry consume my nighttime thoughts, I’m learning to pray childlike prayers. I lay in the dark handing over my worries one by one to my faithful Father instead of grasping them in my powerless hands. I’m still in the process of training myself to trust, but I’m sleeping well at night while the One who never slumbers carries it all.

Lord, I’ve shouldered my cares as if I’m the one in control. Help me become like a child, handing all my stresses, worries and responsibilities to You, my faithful Father. I trust You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:

I Peter 5:7, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (NIV)

Philippians 4:6-7, "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."

REFLECT AND RESPOND:

What worries and responsibilities fill your thoughts and keep you awake at night? Write them on a list.

Reflect a moment. How has your worry changed the situations on your list?

Before bed tonight, pray through your worry list and hand each burden to God. Tell your Heavenly Father you trust Him with each one.

XoXo