I used to worry, a lot! It was like a compulsion, I’d panic if there was something happening in my life that I didn’t have control over or couldn’t plan.

There was always a ‘what if’ scenario going on in my head when the actual thing I was worrying about hadn’t even occurred yet. I’d worry about stuff that hadn’t even happened. Writing that sentence makes me feel silly really, why waste time worrying about things that haven’t happened yet. So we have a certain amount of control in a situation, we can make a decision to go in a certain direction in our lives, we have free will, we have choices that we have to make every single day.

Imagine if we could give all that worry away, imagine we faced situations without feeling like everything could fall apart. I’ll come back to that. Our imagination runs wild when we start to worry. It’s negative, it’s a negative thought that spirals out of control and before we know it – panic strikes. Suddenly, what was once a situation that was most probably going to be resolved in the end no matter how long it took, becomes a whole host of different scenarios of worry. Worry makes us foggy, we lose sense of rationality. It’s all bad, nothing good comes from worry!!! As human beings we can’t seem to help it, but I know that there is one way we can eradicate all worry. It took me a while to get to where I am now and it required trust and perseverance, but when I started my relationship with Christ, little by little, with God’s refinement, and as my relationship has grown, through his word, trials, communication in prayer, and a build in trust through a number of different situations in my life, I have learnt to take my negative thoughts captive and give them to Christ.

So going back to what I was saying before, imagine being able to give all that worry away! God sacrificed his only son on the cross so that all of our sins could be taken away, so we can have eternal life. When you truly understand what Jesus has done for us, you can start to build a relationship, and all the negative thoughts, worry and pressures that surround your life can be given to our Savior, shared with Savior, and talked through in prayer with our Savior. You don’t need to think about a worrying thought in the same way anymore, it’s gone because you know that it’s God that is in control. He has had a plan, he blesses us, he holds our hand, shows us the way, refines us, gives us courage and teaches us that we do not need to fear.

Money was usually what I worried about, I remember always thinking about how I was going to pay for this, that and the other. I have two children, a very hard working husband and for the last two years I have been a stay at home mom. When I decided to stay at home to raise my children I knew I was being led by God, I trusted that he would provide. Of course, we have responsibilities! We can’t just sit back and expect to wake up one morning with a full bank account, but the Lord has provided, he has been good, and having the weight of worry off my shoulders because I know that even if my husband’s work did suddenly come to an abrupt halt, there would be a reason, God would be working for our good and his glory. We have already been in a situation where the cash flow suddenly stopped, and guess what……….?? With prayer, faith and trust in the Lord, we have come through better off than we were before. Praise the Lord!

Philippians 4:6-7

‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’

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